


Wars of the Heart (sonamy AU)

by MidnightFire1222



Category: Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate History, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate World, Attempted Rape/Non-Con (Sonic is NOT the culprit), Cameos of other characters (who may or may not have more significance later), F/M, possible sexual content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:54:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 66,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28074276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MidnightFire1222/pseuds/MidnightFire1222
Summary: ((Created by myself and my co-creator Dreamverie/xxDreamWhispererxx.))A burning rage, a vendetta to fulfill…A cursed existence, no home but the road...In a world of myth and monsters, people fear for their lives. Most settlements don’t last long, and those that do need to be on constant alert to fend off the creatures that would pick them off. That’s where the Hunters and Huntresses come in.They call her the Bloody Rose in hushed whispers. Of the Hunters in the trade, she is among the most brutal. Love taken too soon, a life lost to a killer, she vows vengeance against those that took everything from her. There is no mercy, no kindness in her eyes for monsters or those that do others wrong.He’s a drifter, rare in the trade of Hunters. Cursed generations ago, his family is doomed to wear the skin of beasts in the night. He is all that remains of the line, and wants it to end, seeking a death that never comes. He travels the land alone, taking bounties others won’t for none know what it’s like to be in the mind of a monster.What will happen when these two cross paths? The Hunter in search of vengeance, and the one that seeks his end?(Two chapters uploaded each weekend!)
Relationships: Amy Rose/Sonic the Hedgehog, SonAmy, weresonamy - Relationship
Comments: 25
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

Not much was known about the Hunter many referred to as the Lone Wolf. He was a drifter, body riddled with scars he told no stories of, and eyes wild looking as the monsters he hunted down. He took the bounties no one else would, the terrors that stalked the night and prayed upon villages at their most vulnerable. No one knew why he did or how he was so efficient when Hunters couldn't see in the dark like the nocturnal monsters, but the towns he passed through were grateful for his existence. He accepted next to no rewards, taking only what he needed for a bite to eat or to repair the ancient sword he kept on his person.

The town of Anthem was perhaps one of the largest of its kind. Fortified by thick stone walls armed with cannons and catapults, as well as archers and mages, it stood against the tide of monsters that decimated most other villages. A natural barrier of rocky mountains stood some miles off to the west of the city, and just to its east, sheer cliffs kept the seafaring beasts at bay. Roads led in through the walls to its north and south, where iron gates could spring shut at the drop of a hat to prevent monsters from breaching the walls.

Yet for all of its defense, aerial monsters could still besiege Anthem.

As the sun began its dip toward the horizon for the oncoming night some time later, wyverns closed in on the town. Winged creatures that they were, they easily flew over the walls. Try as they might, the guards with their mages couldn't stop the spread of the wyverns with their poison breath. It tore into the bodies of many a guard and innocent alike, the poison eating its victim from the inside out until they were not but a pile of gelatinous goo.

At the back of a tavern, the Lone Wolf rested with his feet propped up on a table in his corner booth. The proprietor had been kind enough to allow him time to rest, after he'd brought back the head of a giant snake that had been terrorizing travelers on the road. He'd been rewarded handsomely, but instead had donated the funds to an ailing tavern that happened to serve his favorite mead, a bottle of which also happened to be sitting empty on the table near his boots.

The roars of the wyvern pack roused him from his slumber. People were cowering under the tables as he shook himself awake, smacking his lips as if he didn't notice what was happening. He stood up and stretched, grabbing his ancestral sword and, without a word, strolled out into the streets. Blazing emerald eyes honed in on one of the beasts chasing after a mother and her young child. Without missing a beat, he suddenly rocketed from the earth, a blur down the cobblestone streets as he closed in on the creature in mere seconds. With a powerful leap and a swing of his sword, the Hunter ripped the membrane of one of the wyvern's wings. It roared in pain, struggling and unable to remain aloft. As it crashed into the street, the mother and her child fled for safety. The Hunter used the roof of a nearby building to jump off of as he came down to once more gain an advantage. With gravity's aid and a round swing of his sword, he deftly sliced the monster's head clean from its shoulders before it ever had the chance to spew its poison breath at him. Spouting blood, the body fell limply to the ground as the Hunter's ears picked up more screams south of his position. Without a word, he leapt back onto the roof and took off to go take down more of the beasts.

~~~

The ill screams of the wyvern meant little to the Huntress as the weight of her warhammer came crashing down upon its skull. Down and down again it came, each cry weakening with every pound as it seemed to beg for mercy. Yet the Huntress did not yield. In no time at all the beast was dead, nothing left but a mess of flesh as its victor stood over its body, splattered and stained in its very blood.

The Bloody Rose had struck again.

More cries of the wyverns sounded overhead. The Huntress made haste and pulled out her crossbow, quickly firing three shots at one of the beasts closing in on her. Two arrows went straight for its left shoulder, only just missing its heart. The third struck right into its left eye, blinding it as it came crashing down. And as it did, the Bloody Rose leapt over it, vaulting herself high into the air as she brandished her warhammer once more. She cried out, making her own battle cry known as she fell, nothing but a flash of red as she crushed the beast upon impact.

When she stood up again, the wyvern was no more.

For a moment she stood there, eyes closed as she let the moment of the creature’s death sink in. The sight, the smell, the sound...oh how she cherished it all. And yet, it was not enough. Not enough to satisfy the thirst of her vengeance. Nothing did, not until she finally sought out the one that took her love away all those years ago.

More pained cries sounded from the beasts, yet she was not the cause of their pain. Curious, the Huntress opened her eyes to see a rush of blue as a new figure appeared, slaying the remaining few that escaped her wrath. Another Hunter? A shame… she’d been looking forward to ending those beasts herself. Still, it was to be expected. If there were beasts around, the Hunters were sure to follow after them.

This Hunter though was different. Fur as blue as the sea, wild green eyes, and a body riddled with scars… could it be? Was it really him?

"You. Hunter!" she called out, as she walked towards him. She stopped just short of a few feet, keeping a bit of distance between them as she pointed at him with her warhammer. "You are the Lone Wolf hunter, correct? I’ve heard tales of the kind of bounties you take. How you always go after the ones that lurk at night. Well…" She withdrew her weapon, bringing it to stand right beside her. "I also wish to hunt the same beasts. Wolf, I have a request. I’d like to join you on your next hunt, so that I may learn more about these beasts that elude us so. In return, I shall gladly provide for anything you might need, and reward you thusly. What do you say, Wolf? Will you accept my offer?"

~~~

Much quicker and perhaps in a sense more merciful, the remainder of the beasts he took down died a quick death. As he landed, wiping off the blade of his sword once the last wyvern had been felled, a feminine voice called out to him. Wild eyes of green turned to her, assessing the female's appearance as she spoke to him.

"Aye, I be him," he replied in a striking baritone voice, with a strangely feral note to it, "My reputation precedes me it seems, and judging by your appearance, you must be the Bloody Rose."

Few dared to speak that name aloud, much less directly to the Huntress's face. It was said that the few who were bold enough to try often found themselves on the receiving end of her warhammer. She was brutal, and all the evidence he needed for that was from the environment and the Rose herself, splattered with blood and gore over her body and weapon. Not yet dried, the blood glistened under the setting sun, highlighting a pair of bright eyes a lighter shade than his own. He didn't fear her though. Her hammer would never touch him if he willed it; he was too fast, too agile. And he'd faced more frightening things in his twenty-nine years. Indeed, he felt almost as if something more primal roused within him, however fleeting it was.

"You ask much of me Rose," he continued, sheathing the sword at his hip and resting a hand on its hilt, "Your methods are too violent, too noticeable. Most Hunters refuse the nocturnal bounties because they're unable to see in the dark. The beasts of the night use the shadows to cloak themselves, and your erratic flailing would certainly alert them. To hunt them one must be able to think like them, and your handiwork here tells me you cannot."

If looks could kill, he’d be dead on the floor. The Wolf remained neutral in his stance, one brow slightly raised as he witnessed the rage growing in the woman’s eyes. Just like he’d expected, she took a swing at him with her heavy warhammer. With a quick step he was out of her reach, and even the hammer’s spikes caught nothing but open air. His movement caused a small gust of wind to blow past, lifting cloth and fur alike in its wake. The Rose’s bangs parted briefly, revealing a jagged scar down her left eye that gave the Wolf pause. It looked old, years old. He wondered in passing what might have caused such a deep blemish on an otherwise immaculate face, but the story wasn’t his to know. He told no tales of his own scars, and therefore had no right to press on what had been the cause of hers, especially when he hardly knew her.

“What right have you to judge me?!” she demanded after her hammer instead met its mark against a building’s stone wall, leaving a sizable crater in its place as she withdrew, “You know not what I’ve been through nor what I’m capable of.”

“I’ve heard stories on the wind,” he replied without batting an eye, his tone betraying a slight humor in his voice, “Word travels of your feats, and seeing them firsthand I can’t deny they’re right.” He shifted his stance to where his arms comfortably crossed across his scar-riddled chest, his brow raising again inquisitively. “What makes you believe you can take on the beasts of the dark, knowing full well you can’t see in the pitch black of night?”

The red-clad warrior sheathed her hammer into its holder on her back, unbothered by the weight before she folded her arms below her chest. “My reasons are my own,” she replied, her tone closing any further inquiries into just what those reasons were, “Suffice to say I must learn how to hunt as you do Wolf, lest I never fulfill my goals.”

His expression was thoughtful as his gaze scrutinized hers. A fire burned deep in her jade-colored eyes, a fury he hadn’t seen in many moons. Something in her past had scarred her deeply, and more than just the old wound on her face. He couldn’t help feeling a certain kinship, surprisingly so.

“Alright,” he replied after a long moment of silence, “but if we are to do this, then you must do exactly as I say without question. You’re in my territory now Rose, and I don’t take kindly to those that disregard my orders.” She frowned deeply, but the only reaction he gave was in the form of a small smirk. “Luckily for you, I know the location of a beast that needs putting down. Have you ever heard of a night stalker?”

Her expression softened to something more inquisitive, but the frown never left her face. “In passing,” she admitted while using the end of her tattered red cloak to wipe her face free of most of the wyvern blood, “I know they’re large and capable of flight, and rumored to suck blood like a vampire.”

“You’re on the right track,” he replied, “They’re akin to bats, able to suck their victims dry, and are large enough to take down an adult mammoth. In my travels I’ve learned they have an aversion to sunlight, and hide in caves to sleep during the day before they come out at night to hunt. Rumor has it that one is nesting in a cave just a few miles south of Anthem, and, since you’re coming tonight, we’re going to take it out before it can leave its nest.”

~~~

Sunset was looming fast. The Wolf could feel it deep in his bones, the call of the night. For now it was just a warning sign, but it wouldn’t be long before the beast that slept inside him would break free of its cage. He glanced back at the Rose, inwardly smiling to himself. She wasn’t used to this type of a hunt, not when the light faded quickly and her sight along with it. For him he couldn’t be more in his element. As much as he despised his nightly form, it came with the advantage of seeing better in the dark and proved more than useful in taking down the nocturnal monsters others wouldn’t dare to fight.

She dared not voice her worries. He had explicitly warned her to be silent, for the night stalkers may have poor vision, but their sense of hearing was stronger than a hound’s. Night would come before they actually reached the cave - were he alone, his speed would get him there and back to Anthem before the day was through, but now he had a partner on this particular hunt and the going was far slower than he liked. Still, he knew how to stalk patiently, for his nightly face replaced his speed for a strength that more than rivaled the girl’s own.

Their plan was to split and close the cave mouth from both sides in the event the creature started to awaken. What it really entailed was for him to split away from the girl in order to avoid her seeing his nightly transformation. It lasted for mere moments, but given her reputation for her feelings toward beasts, he couldn’t chance her finding out. Oh, she would see him of course, but not his current face.

A sharp pain in his chest warned him that night was nearly there, and he nearly staggered from it. Luckily he was skilled enough to make it seem like he had tripped over an unseen obstacle, not uncommon when his own eyes couldn’t yet see well in the dwindling light. He made a motion for the girl to start going right and circle around to the east side of the cave’s mouth. He planned on the west, and with a wave of his cloak he all but disappeared into the shadows.

The Rose kept her crossbow at the ready as her partner for this bounty split off in his own direction. She followed the path ahead of her, searching out for signs of the creature and its claim on the cave.

In the meanwhile, the Wolf leaned heavily on a tree for support. It didn’t matter how many times he went through this, his legs always became weak beneath him and the pain excruciating. He pushed forward, his breathing slightly labored as the sun was barely a sliver in the sky. He finally collapsed, forced to crawl forward on his hands and knees as he searched for a hollow in which to store his belongings. He still planned to help the Rose, even knowing full well she would go after him just as much as the night stalker. It was, after all, a quarry he’d planned on taking down from the get-go, only now he needed more caution. He couldn’t chance her seeing his beastly form with the sword on his outfit. The last thing he needed was for her to spread word of what he was once she returned to Anthem, and he dared not attempt to kill her to keep her silence were she to find out. It was a huge risk he was taking, but perhaps in doing this he may just find the death he sought at the woman’s own hand and take the curse out with the spilling of his blood to save future generations from its wrath.

Seconds felt like hours as his insides grew white hot, blood nearly boiling from the heat of it. He could no longer resist the pain as night called out the beast inside, and with a vengeance it ripped free from its prison. His fur lengthened, shifting to a night sky’s blue that made him all but invisible with the shadows. His ungloved hands dug into the ground, trailing large scratches in the dirt as claws grew out on his fingers. Bones broke and mended themselves in an instant, muscle and sinew enlarging as his frame grew to accommodate it all. A silent snarl formed on his features and beyond his parted lips the teeth within grew into dagger-like fangs.

When it was over he looked more akin to a large wolf, almost like the dire wolves from an age long past. Hedgehog-like features still remained, the quills, the tail albeit a bit longer and bushier, and the shape of the muzzle and nose, however much larger it was for those elongated fangs.

A strangled snarl of pain ripped its way from his lips, a side effect he could never hold back in the aftermath each night. The sound almost sounded like a howl, a ferocious sort of sound that echoed for miles even in the woods before the glow of feral green eyes appeared and he was left panting. The Wolf continued forward, still in pursuit of the hunt, yet cautious of the woman who would also be nearing the cave as well.

~~~

She froze in her tracks when the howl suddenly echoed over the forest. Was it possible? Her quarry, here, after so many long years of tracking it down? The very reason she became a Huntress to begin with? That was no ordinary howl, that she knew. She recognized it all too well, from a dark night burned into her memory all that time ago. It was oh so tempting to stray from her goal, but she had no real experience hunting the nocturnal monsters of the world, and that included the creature that howl likely belonged to. The Lone Wolf was the only chance she had to learn, and if she strayed now he might retract his offer to teach her to hunt the night’s beasts. He had explicitly stated she must follow his orders and didn’t take kindly to those disregarding them. While she normally wouldn’t care being that she could hold her own and even best most any man she met, this was outside her wheelhouse regarding experience, and she needed to bite her tongue and listen.

She reached the mouth of the cave as the moon rose high enough to partially illuminate it. She waited, watching for the Wolf’s signal to enter and take the night stalker out. She waited several moments, but it never came. A frown creased her features, thinking he had decided to abandon her in those dark woods. So deciding to forgo his plan, she crept inside solo with her crossbow at the ready.

Inside, a hulking mass took up a large part of the cave. Its hot breath blew toward the mouth of the cave, nearly making the girl gag from its foul stench. She crept forward still more, taking aim at what she thought was its neck. The hit landed its mark, but instead of killing the creature the night stalker was roused from its slumber. A loud shriek resounded from its dripping fangs, senses zeroing in on the one that injured it.

The Rose switched quickly to her warhammer and raised it above her head, a war cry yelled at the top of her lungs as she swung.

She never hit her mark. The night stalker had her pinned down in seconds, slamming her hard into the cave floor. It shrieked again, its jaws about to close on the girl and tear her apart, but just before the creature could deal the killing blow, something sharp slashed at its back. It shrieked in pain, turning toward the new aggressor while the Rose was left seeing stars.

A wolf-like beast roared loudly in response, fangs bared up at the creature. It shrieked again in response and lunged at its new foe, but the shaggy beast dodged to the side and, with a surge from his back legs, used his strength to ram the night stalker into the cave wall. Dust and bits of rock fell from the impact, cloaking the room briefly as the night stalker lunged again for the dark blue beast.

The Rose awoke from her daze, a throbbing pain in the back of her head from where it had struck solid stone. Her hand felt around for her warhammer, closing around the handle. She drove the top spike into the ground, using the long handle to pull herself to her feet before she withdrew. The woman staggered on her feet, vision swimming. Moonlight flooded the cave, but her vision was still limited. She squeezed her eyes shut, small ears perking to the sound of commotion nearby. Once everything stopped spinning, she opened her eyes to see another beast attacking the night stalker. Her viridian eyes shot open before fury quickly overtook her. She drew her crossbow and aimed for the smaller beast, loosing a bolt from the weapon.

Her aim held true, and the wolf-like beast snarled as the bolt pierced his shoulder. His hide was quite thick, but a bolt could still pierce it more than deep enough to draw blood. In his distraction, the night stalker slapped him away with one of its large wings, sending the dark blue creature into the wall, knocking the wind from his lungs. While he coughed and fought to regain his breath, the Rose smashed the hammer’s flat head as hard as she could into the back of the night stalker. Something snapped with the hit, a leg broken that had it screaming in pain. The woman turned her hammer in her grip as the stalker tumbled down, this time bringing the spiked end to embed into the stalker and drag it in a jagged line down its body.

The midnight colored beast quickly regained his wits, ears folding to the sounds of pain. Yet in that cacophony of noise, yet another cut through, something he’d managed to miss and the report had failed to include.

A nest, of all things, with at least three young inside. The beast’s eyes widened as he stood before he glanced over to the adult stalker taking the brunt of the Rose’s attacks. They were about to orphan the young. Dark memories flashed through his mind of the day the very same thing happened to him, and something inside him just couldn’t allow this to continue. He knew now, and it weighed too heavily to think they were about to end the life of a parent, mother or father.

The hunched beast sank to all fours again while the girl was busy reveling in her assured victory while the night stalker’s breath was heavy. She took great joy in the apparent torture, so much she didn’t notice the other beast slinking up silently behind her. Before she could bat an eye he stood, pulling her off her feet by the scruff of her cloak and ripping the hammer from her grasp. He threw it out of the mouth of the cave with great force where it embedded itself by one of the spikes into a tree. She screamed bloody murder, brandishing her crossbow as she loaded it to fire.

He didn’t give her a chance as that too was yanked from her grasp and flung out into the night. He snarled at the girl, glancing briefly to the night stalker with an apologetic look before he dragged the girl out of there. She kicked and screamed the entire way, her strength enough to bruise him when she did land a strike.

Outside the cave, he tossed her toward the weapons where they’d had landed relatively close to one another. Sinking to all fours again, the wolf-like beast stared her down, his eyes like glowing embers in the night as he challenged her. She swore a dark oath as she yanked her hammer free. The loaded crossbow aimed at the creature ahead, but his size betrayed swift movement and he was one with the shadows before she could fire a shot. The woman screamed.

“Come out here and fight, coward!” she challenged, “You ruined everything! I’ll take you out if it’s the last thing I do!”

The green embers appeared a distance away from the cave accompanied with a rumbling growl. The Wolf couldn’t speak her words like he could in the guise of the day - try as he might, he could only understand. The intent was clear however; daring her to catch him and try.

She fell for the ploy in her rage, and the green-eyed beast led the woman in a dangerous dance she didn’t know she was part of, leading her further away from the cave and in circles to ensure she couldn’t find it again. He allowed her to close in many times, just close enough to almost hit but in the end leaving her to swing at nothing but open air. He was purposely tiring her out, and tough as she was she only had so much stamina, much of which was used up in the previous fight.

The dance lasted for what seemed like hours, until he led the Rose back to Anthem. It was really only a few miles from the cave in the forest, but all the twists and turns in order to confuse the girl made it all the longer. She was exhausted by the time she reached the gates, and collapsed just outside. A guard managed to spot her bright pink quills and sounded an alert when he spied the beast as well. The Wolf was quick to retreat by the time a guard unit was dispatched, but they were able to at least bring the Huntress back inside unharmed.

The Lone Wolf returned to the forest. He favored his left shoulder slightly, where the bolt had entangled his shaggy fur and embedded itself in his skin. He could feel blood trickling from the wound, but as he searched for what he needed to make a healing salve, he thought back to the night stalker and the young it had in its nest. It had been left badly wounded from the Rose, and would likely die if left in the state it was in. He couldn’t just leave it there, so in his search and against any better judgement he had, he made his way toward the cave with the ingredients for the salve to help the injured parent begin to heal.

It was going to be a long, long night.  



	2. Chapter 2

The previous night was exhausting. As a beast he returned to the cave and instead of healing any of his own wounds, he worked tirelessly on the night stalker. Despite its initial, and completely understandable, hostility toward him, it was in no condition to fight. He stemmed the bleeding and sealed the wound with the thick salve he produced. Setting the broken leg nearly got him a chunk taken out of his arm, but all the work had been worth it in the end. Some beasts were smarter than people gave them credit for, and while a night stalker wasn’t about to begin reciting poetry, a mutual unspoken understanding was met between it and the Wolf where it would leave travelers alone and only hunt animals in the forest.

In the wee hours before dawn he was finally finished, leaving the parent and its young an extra peace offering in the form of two freshly caught and killed wild elk. Still, all that work on healing and hunting left him no time for sleep nor for tending to his own wounds. As he found the tree where his gear was safely stored, dawn reverted his form and the beast went to sleep once more. After the bout of agonizing pain, he was finally able to pull the bolt out of his arm. He only had a small amount of salve left on his person, but it was enough to cover the wound and prevent more bleeding though did nothing for the aching soreness that had settled in his arm. It was a good thing he was right handed, or his sword arm would’ve been left next to useless. He tended to recover fast however, so it wouldn’t be that long before at least the soreness dulled to a light throb he could easily ignore.

The Lone Wolf sped back to Anthem once he donned his clothes, silently glad his shoulder guard would hide the wound the Rose had inflicted upon him the previous night. With the few gold pieces he had left, he sought refuge at the tavern from the day before, planning to use his last few pieces for a bottle of mead. The owner refused the coin, instead offering the blue-furred warrior a bottle on the house. He was always welcome there after donating his own money to keep them afloat. The Lone Wolf could only manage a tired smile as he was allowed a corner booth at the back of the tavern, where it was quiet and would allow him some rest.

He very nearly nodded off, until a woman’s voice roused him from his attempt at slumber.

“Where the hell were you last night?” the voice demanded after the owner slammed her fists on the table to get his attention, nearly cracking it in two.

“Whazzat…?” he mumbled a bit deliriously. The hedgehog rubbed his eyes and yawned widely, setting his half-veiled gaze upon none other than the Bloody Rose.

“Last night,” she repeated, resting her hands on her hips, “You were to accompany me in slaying the night stalker, yet you never showed up at the cave. Instead I have to fight two beasts on my own and barely make it out of there with my life, all while being made the fool!”

He winced slightly as her voice rose in pitch and volume. While not as strong as his nightly half, the Lone Wolf’s ears were a little more sensitive than most and loud noises like that sometimes hurt.

He shifted slightly, taking a drink from the mead bottle in the vain hope that the alcohol might dull his budding headache for awhile before his gaze lifted to the woman once again. “I know not what other beast you speak of,” he confessed, “Far as I was aware, there was only the one.”

“That’s where you are wrong,” she responded with a soft huff, taking the seat opposite him at the booth’s table, “Some sort of dire wolf showed up when I went to take on the night stalker alone.”

“Dire wolf?” he repeated, swirling the contents of his bottle lazily, “That can’t be possible; they’ve been extinct for centuries.”

“A thought I share, but I kid you not,” the Rose continued, “It must’ve been nearly half the night stalker’s size, with limbs thick as logs and eyes shining like bright coals. I’m certain I finished off the night stalker, but that other beast...it was like nothing I’d ever seen. It was intelligent for sure, far moreso than anything I’ve witnessed. It tossed me out of the cave as if I were nothing but a rag doll.”

“A smart beast you say?” he asked, hiding a smile with another swig of his bottle, “Never have I heard of such a thing.”

“‘Tis true; though I scarcely believe it myself, it is. I swear that thing was leading me on a wild goose chase. Next thing I’m aware of, I’m waking to the morning sun blazing into my room at the inn. I think it planned to wear me out and kill me after, but luck was on my side and the guards got to me first. I don’t believe they got it however.”

“Hmm, something like that sounds like a danger indeed…”

“Exactly my thinking, and that’s why I’d like to hire you to help me take it out, which is generous considering your abandoning of me last night.”

He nearly choked on his mead. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me Wolf. I’ll need you to train me. Quarry like this supposed dire wolf is similar to another beast I hunt, and I need to be able to take it out. Only you have the experience to teach me.”

A frown creased his otherwise tired features. “Again, you ask much of me, Rose. There is, after all, a reason why they call me the LONE wolf.”

“Oh please, you must have had at least one partner in your work at some point.”

The Hunter stiffened, but otherwise didn’t react. He looked down the neck of his bottle, eyeing the mead inside with tired eyes before taking another swig. “Once. It didn’t end well. I work better alone.”

After all, being alone meant no one could save him, meaning he could find his death all the sooner. Oh by the gods, how the scar-riddled Hunter tried. It was one of the reasons he took such a line of work to begin with. Sure he wanted to do good, and he did, quite a lot in fact. Many Hunters didn’t last long though, and he purposely took the night time bounties to have a better chance of working alone, due to his bloodline’s curse. Some instinct to survive existed somewhere in his beastial side however, and leaked through to his daylight form, and no matter what he tried he could never seem to find his wish.

Her expression softened some. “I’m...I’m sorry, I didn’t know,” she apologized.

He waved a hand dismissively. “Of course not. Most don’t.”

She frowned slightly at his brush-off of the subject before her expression turned thoughtful. “I’m not like other Hunters,” she continued, “I’ve been doing this for several years. I can hold my own more than most.”

“So I’ve seen.”

She bit her tongue briefly, not daring to yell again, just yet. She needed to get his help, and yelling and belittling weren’t going to get her the results she wanted. Her eyes fell to where her hands were folded, fingers interlaced and the metal around them clinking together softly as she fidgeted a bit. Perhaps she could offer an insight into her motives, just a piece of her past to make him understand. Her hands rose to let her elbows rest on the table, fingers remaining interlocked in a gesture of prayer.

“Please,” she pleaded, silently hating herself to have to resort to this, “Something...something precious was once taken from me, and I’ve been tracking the creature responsible for several years. I’ve come so close, but the beast always eludes me. It becomes one with the shadows of the night, a time I cannot follow, but if I can learn to hunt as you do Wolf, then maybe I can finally fulfill my vendetta.”

“Vengeance, in other words,” he replied without looking at her face. His half-lidded gaze closed until barely a sliver of his eyes were visible. “You walk a dangerous road Rose. I’ve seen many paths like your own on my travels, and they never end well.” He tipped the bottle, gulping down the last of the drink in one go. “Say I do help you, and you get your vengeance, what then? You’ll be left with nothing but emptiness.”

“I’m willing to take that chance. I swore I would see this through, and I’m committed, no matter the cost.”

His eyes opened slightly, gazing her way. He studied her own, seeing the determination in those beautiful eyes. And the hurt. She was hurt deeply. Whatever had happened in her past, loss of life was apparent. A sibling, a parent, a friend, a lover… it wasn’t his to know, but it was there, and her gaze betrayed just how deep it went.

A sigh escaped him. He had a feeling he might deeply regret this, but she was right after all. No other Hunter could teach her how to track at night. He just couldn’t BE there with her at night. He was going to have to take a different approach.

“Alright…” he finally answered, suppressing a huge yawn that wanted so badly to escape him, “but you will do exactly what I say, with no questions. That’s my offer. What say you?”

“Agreed. I’ll meet you tonight outside the southern gate.”

In a move so fast it betrayed his tiredness and possible inebriation, he stopped her from leaving the booth before she could fully stand up.

“No,” he said, “We’ll start when I say, and that’s going to be now. You’ll come with me. I know of an obstacle course where you can begin your training.”

It took all her willpower to keep herself from punching the hedgehog as hard as she could. “Excuse me? I don’t need basic training.”

“Oh yes you will, because you’re going to be blindfolded. It’ll simulate what it’s like to be without your sight when the sun goes down.”

“And if I refuse?” she demanded.

“Then I don’t help you,” he answered matter-of-factly, “As I said, no questions asked.”

“Fine.”

He bid her follow and sighed, waving to the tavern owner as they left. The blue hedgehog rubbed the bridge of his nose as she followed. This was going to be all kinds of trouble, he just knew it. This woman was relentless, and he had the feeling that if he said no she would only keep pushing until she got her way.

So much for a nap. Tonight was going to be exceedingly painful; it was always worse when he was running on no sleep.

~~~

“Keep your guard up!” he instructed, “Your sight is useless at night! You have to use your other senses to compensate!”

She wasn’t doing too well, and these were just practice dummies, padded fakes to keep real injuries to a minimum. They’d been at this for close to three hours without a break. She insisted they keep going. He could feel his weariness catching up to him throughout the morning. He had to give the Rose credit where it was due; if nothing else, she was incredibly tenacious.

It was taking all he had not to fall asleep. Normally his stamina was quite high, but without even a chance to eat after last night's debacle he was running on empty. Nearly nodding off once had almost gotten him an errant bolt to the head, but luckily he had seen it and had managed to side-step out of the way, and give the girl a well-deserved tongue-lashing in the process. He only hoped she’d stop soon, and with how sloppy she was starting to get compared to just an hour ago, he had high hopes that she would want a break soon.

It didn’t actually happen until mid afternoon. He underestimated her stubbornness. Eventually he stepped in for the practice dummies, figuring maybe a real opponent would speed things up so to speak. The exercise was to attempt to teach her to use her hearing and other senses, and the dummies didn’t make much noise when moved. It cost him precious energy, but she started to get a better hang of the objective, though there was still a long way to go. By that time she was struggling to stand. The warhammer hung heavily in her grasp, and sweat glistened on her brow from the sun. He was panting too, not as winded but needing a rest badly and was glad when she finally relented.

They ended the training session and returned to the tavern about a block away where the Wolf had been earlier that day. He rubbed the bridge of his nose again as he greeted the barkeep. Again he tried to pay with coin but it was refused. They insisted he could eat for free, and when he hesitantly pressed about the woman with him, they agreed to foot the bill this time around. More than grateful, he sunk into a booth seat at the back while she took the seat across from him. Their orders were taken, and he relaxed into the seat while they waited for their food to arrive.

“Well, that was certainly...enlightening,” the Rose said awkwardly, brushing some stray quills from her face and back into her thick bangs.

He couldn’t hold back the yawning anymore and a rather large one came out despite his efforts. “It will continue like this, until you can learn to rely on your other senses.”

He didn’t actually know how long the training would take. He hadn’t planned on an extended stay in Anthem. Doing so would jeopardize his secret, the very reason he was a drifter to begin with.

Silence fell between the two of them while some drinks were placed on their table. He took a generous swig, about ready to nod off again when the pink-furred female once more spoke.

“If we’re to spend extended time like this together, perhaps it would be prudent to...get on a first name basis?” she asked.

The Wolf jolted slightly, opening his eyes halfway to meet her gaze. “I suppose…” he replied hesitantly, “Most never ask.”

She frowned at him, crossing her arms over her chest in a way he found strangely endearing. “Well?” she demanded.

He couldn’t stop a tired smirk from lifting his lips. “Ladies first,” he quipped.

She huffed. “Fine,” she replied, “My name is Amelie Rose, Amy for short. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” She extended a hand across the table, waiting for him to meet her the rest of the way.

A chuckle escaped him. “Syrus Hedgehog, known better as Sonic. The pleasure’s mine.” He leaned forward enough to meet her the rest of the way.

“Sonic,” she repeated, “Such a strange nickname. Might I inquire as to the origins?”

He shrugged as he sank back into his seat. “Given to me by some family members due to how fast I can move. It just sort of stuck throughout the years and I was always referred as such more often than my real name.”

Amelie was about to say something more, but by that time, their food had arrived, and her new mentor was far too busy digging into his meal. He was awfully hungry, and she supposed she couldn’t begrudge him the inability to speak correctly whilst his mouth was full of food. They would speak more in time. For now, she started on her own dish, far more well-mannered than the Hunter sitting across from her.


	3. Chapter 3

“When are we going to continue?”

The cerulean Hunter nearly choked. “You can’t be serious…”

She was of course. “When do we continue?”

“Four and a half hours. Rose-”

“Amy.”

He resisted the urge to groan loudly. “Amelie…” he replied, not yet comfortable with using a nickname for her, “How can you wish to continue already? Are you not tired, at all?”

“You give me a warm-up,” she replied, “I need all the training I can get if I’m to hunt at night.”

He sighed softly. Night wasn’t for several hours still, and it was impossible for him to actually train her in the dark. She’d already tried taking his head once, and was certain she’d do it again. As much as he would have faced that death, whatever survival instinct the beast had wouldn’t let him. It was out of his control, and he, perhaps, imagined a slightly more glorious death than going out as a monster.

“Perhaps we could return to the training hall,” he suggested.

Amy shook her head. “I need real battle experience, not cloth dummies and you constantly evading.”

He bit his tongue, desperately wanting sleep but knowing this woman wasn’t going to let him anytime soon. “Perhaps...we could take a look at a bounty board. A low ranked mission, D or E.”

“You insult me,” she said, frowning once more, “I can handle the toughest missions without batting an eye and--”

He held up a hand for silence. “Not blindfolded,” he interrupted, “You need to learn to rely on your other senses, not just sight. You’re still too rough around the edges Ro---” He caught himself. “Amelie. You wouldn’t stand a chance without your eyes. You need assistance, and in case it failed your notice, I am exhausted. I have yet to get any real sleep.”

“Can you not make it up tonight?” she asked, looking crestfallen.

Her expression tugged at something inside him. “I…have somewhere important to be tonight. Alone. But an easy mission will at least get you some real world experience without your sight, and as you learn to open up and rely more on your other senses, perhaps we can try harder missions.”

The woman’s jade colored eyes lit right up. “It’s a deal,” she replied, “Though, might I inquire where this place is you must go? Perhaps I could be of assistance.”

“No,” he replied abruptly, perhaps a little harshly, “It’s not something you can help with, nor have you permission to come. You sought me out as a mentor, and that is how things will be. You are free to leave anytime, but as you have said, only I have the ability to teach you.”

She growled, but knew he was right. And perhaps, she shouldn’t have pressed. It was, after all, not her business and she barely knew him. What right did she have to pry into his personal life? About as much right as he had to do the same to her own.

“Fine,” she relented, “Still, when do we go?”

He sighed, yet a smile still crossed his features. “You are a stubborn woman,” he said.

“So I’ve been told,” she replied, “So when are we going?”

He couldn’t help chuckling, even if there was a tired note to it. They finished their food and with a thank you to the owner and staff, the Wolf and the Rose left to find a bounty board. It took a bit to search, but they eventually came upon one that had a few missions still available. One did catch the blue Hunter’s eye.

Wanted: Hobgoblin pack. Responsible for ransacking several caravans on the road north of Anthem and leaving travelers stranded.

Reward: 200 gold upon return with proof to town hall

Rank: D

“That one,” he pointed out, “The two of us can take this out without issue, even with you blindfolded, and myself tired.” He took the mission down and a magic attached to the board marked it as TAKEN. “Come, I will take us there. My speed will get us there faster than any carriage.”

“Excuse me? What---”

He didn’t let her finish as he gathered her in his hold. The weight of her hammer made him stagger slightly. It was surprisingly heavy, betraying just how strong she really could be to wield it so effortlessly in one hand. He grunted with effort before he took off for the northern gate, all the while with Amelie screaming and yelling obscenities at him. He couldn’t help laughing a little at her display.

The target was about five miles up the road, a walk that would have taken nearly a half hour or twenty minutes by carriage that he made in less than two. He let the winded girl out of his grasp, dodging when she tried to hit him with her warhammer.

“Who gave you permission to do such a thing?!” she yelled.

He held up his hands defensively. “Easy now,” he replied, “The hobgoblins are a short distance from here and they’ll hear you.” She took one more swing and he ducked. “I apologize. If there’s one thing you should know, sometimes I can get impatient, especially when I’m tired…” He suppressed a large yawn, mostly; a small one still came out. “Now calm down. I’m going to blindfold you again. You must use your other senses for this mission, hearing especially. A blind Hunter can still do well in the field if they attune themselves."

He pulled the blindfold out again and tied it around her eyes, completely obscuring them. He took her gently by the wrist, cautiously leading her along. They needed to appear weakened in order to even tempt the pack to attempt ambush. It was convincing enough, she had a hard time finding her way and he was starting to sway a little where he stood. Even with a meal in his belly he still felt a bit lightheaded.

Still, he kept his own senses on high alert. Hobgoblins weren’t the brightest, but in a pack they were a force to be reckoned with. The last thing they needed was to be overrun in an actual ambush. What he wouldn’t give to have his beastial senses now, despite how much he hated that side of his being. It would make things so much easier.

After a half mile and several silent minutes, movement could be heard faintly in the surrounding trees. The blue hedgehog kept a hand on the hilt of his sword, continuing to lead Amelie along.

“Listen to your surroundings,” he whispered, coaching her, “They are close.”

It was only a moment later when goblin-like creatures wearing tribal outfits attacked with spears. They chittered and screeched in a strange language neither hedgehog could understand. Syrus let the girl’s arm go, drawing his sword to slice at three of them in one deft motion. He managed to get two of them and knocked the third out of the way. The spilling of their blood stirred the feral side within him and while the beast wouldn’t wake until after sunset, it snapped at its leash and he could feel it deep inside. He couldn’t stop a snarl from escaping him as he charged into battle with sword drawn.

Amelie kept her stance low, hammer protectively in front of her with both hands. This wasn’t anything like the training at the obstacle course. This was for real, and when he left her side she actually felt a twinge of fear. She took a cautious step forward, then another, trying to keep her senses open and listen like he’d told her. Unfortunately she wasn’t listening as well as she thought, because two spears impacted the side of her leg. She yelled in pain, swiping her hammer in the direction she’d been hit, meeting nothing but open air.

While the Wolf’s speed allowed him to quickly take out enemies, she had to take it much more slowly. The Rose took a calming breath, feeling her heart hammer in her chest. It dawned on her that this was a sensation she didn’t normally take notice of. Was it because her sight was cut off and her other senses were stronger? It must be. She exhaled slowly, hearing a slight whistling in the air as several spears were thrown at her. She used her hammer to block most of them and the few that got through bounced off the armor on her abdomen and shins. Behind her, she could hear the rustling of leaves and the sound of small clawed feet scratching the ground as they ran. With a pivot of her stance she twirled around like a ballerina, bringing the flat head of the hammer around with her. A line of several hobgoblins was sent flying quite a ways away, and the sound of crushing bones made a smile grace her lips. That smile turned into a dark smirk as she bent low and turned the hammer opposite so the spike was pointed out instead of the flat head.

More hobgoblins charged the Huntress, and she brought the hammer back around and skewered several of them with the sharp spike. In her reverie however, she didn’t take any notice of the attack from behind. Several hobgoblins snuck up behind and stabbed her less protected calves. She screamed and went down as her wounds started to bleed. She yelled bloody murder as she started aimlessly swinging the hammer around, completely ignoring Syrus’s advice in remaining calm and listening.

As the blue warrior sliced the heads off several goblins with swift slices of his sword, his ears perked to the sound of Amelie screaming in rage. He glanced at her, eyes narrowed. He growled lowly to himself, annoyed she had disregarded his advice so easy. He moved quickly, a boom left in his wake that shook the trees and scared several birds as he took out the remainder of the tribal pack out with quick precision.

When the chief was finally felled, he cut off its head with the headdress still on it. He was panting heavily, a feral rage burning inside that he needed several seconds to quell before he dared turn to the Rose. With the head in hand, he pulled her to her feet and pulled off the blindfold. She looked up at him, her ears falling slightly from the look of anger and disappointment on his face.

“I--”

“We’re done,” he interrupted, “You need a healer, as I have nothing that can fix your wounds.

“Does that mean...you’ll not train me...?” she asked hesitantly, feeling a strange sensation of dear at that feral look in his eyes.

He shoved the head into her grasp and picked her up the same way he had before. He didn’t speak as he took them both back to Anthem and found the town hall, where they turned in the head of the hobgoblin chieftain as proof in exchange for the gold. He then took the woman to a healer’s hut to get her wounds tended to. He turned to leave, but her voice stopped him short.

“Wolf,” she started, “I mean, Syrus…” She hesitated slightly, not feeling like she had the privilege to address him by the nickname he had provided.

“Sonic is fine,” he said quickly, looking back over his shoulder, “What is it?”

“You...never answered me. Does this mean, you’ll train me no longer?”

His jaw tightened briefly before a sigh escaped and he turned to her. “For today. You need to heal, and I need a little rest before night comes and I must leave for that important thing I mentioned. I will...see you tomorrow, perhaps.”

He turned and headed out the door, leaving her looking crestfallen while a healer tended to her with magic. Was it because she had lost her temper? Such a thing wasn’t unusual, but perhaps, because she couldn’t see, it was more dangerous at the time? She had been swinging quite erratically now that she thought about it. Was it possible she’d almost hurt someone innocent, or perhaps even him? She wasn’t sure, but it weighed heavily on her mind.

~~~

Syrus headed out of Anthem and into the woods south of town to find a spot he could take a nap in. After a bit of searching, he found a nice quiet spot by a stream. The blue hedgehog rested his back against a tree, laying his family sword beside him. His body was exhausted, so he closed his eyes in an attempt to nap.

Too bad his mind wouldn’t let him sleep.

Normally, when he was that exhausted, he could fall asleep within a few minutes, but as they ticked by and stretched into several, his mind kept him awake. With a sigh, he opened his eyes slightly and looked to the stream.

“What am I to do with that woman…” he muttered to himself, even when no one else was around to hear it, “She’s going to expect me to take her out on an actual night hunt when she gets better at fighting without using just her eyes, even after that near-disaster with the night stalker. This learning to listen to her surroundings isn’t going to last forever. Even if I can stretch it out more to getting her to control her temper, that won’t last forever either.”

He shifted so his back was instead on the ground and he could look up at the sky through the leaves, where the sun filtered down through them into a scattering of golden light. The Wolf crossed his arms behind his head, his ears, damaged from years of fighting monsters as the night beast, folding back slightly against his head.

“I don’t know why I even care. I could just leave Anthem, never look back. She could never catch me; I could be a hundred miles away by now and she’d never know.”

Except…

He knew the sort of path she followed, had seen it too many times to count. If he was being honest with himself, he too had felt the sting of revenge in his own heart once upon a time. So long ago it felt now, but there was a time he too had walked that same path, and at the end, all he found was emptiness. As much as he should only care about his own needs, he never could stand to see a person follow that path if it was within his power to stop. A pretty girl like that shouldn’t even have to make a living by being a killer…

His eyes widened slightly at that thought before he chuckled to himself.

“Pretty like a rose yes, but with more thorns than petals.”

He sighed and pushed it out of his mind. Maybe he’d make a better decision when he was more awake, if sunset didn’t interrupt his sleep too soon.


	4. Chapter 4

The last few days had been a bit of a blur. Somehow he’d reasoned with himself that he should stay and help the woman. Syrus had a feeling it was his sleep-addled mind talking and not one functioning at full capacity. Between running on missions and training Amelie during the day as well as taking bounty missions at night as an excuse to be away from Anthem on his own, he was lucky to get an hour or two of sleep each day.

Today he’d started working with the Rose on controlling her temper through use of meditation after several hours of her training in the obstacle course. Every time she was blindfolded and things started not working for her, she would start getting angry and with her strength that spelled disaster. So they had found a peaceful place in the town’s park in which to do just that. He’d ended up falling over and falling asleep only to be shaken awake by the girl an hour later. They tried again and the same thing happened, but that time it was the pain of his incoming transformation that roused him. He’d had precious moments to leave and had sped away at his fastest to do so in time. He’d only made it a mile out of town at most before the transformation started kicking in. It was all he could do to remove his things so they wouldn’t tear before he was writhing in agony.

Every night seemed to get worse and worse without quality sleep. The beast fed on energy to fuel the transformation and it would happen whether he wanted it to or not. Now the were-beast was near delirious from no sleep, and desperately hungry. His night bounty would have to wait; being tired was dangerous enough, but not having any energy to perform his job was near suicidal. Unfortunately he’d have to settle for small game; there was no way he could catch an elk easily in his condition, and he needed something now. It was a good thing rodents were plentiful, and as much as he disliked their taste they were at least easy to catch asleep.

Well, no one ever said a double life would be easy…

Before he could find more than a mouthful, a haunting roar echoed over the land. The beast dug his claws into a nearby tree in order to scale it and when he reached the top, he nearly fell out from the shock of it.

An umbra dragon had come for Anthem.

Rumored to be extremely rare, they were nocturnal hunters that fed upon dreams. Their breath could send the victim into an eternal slumber and people were said to be their primary source of sustenance; the more complex the dream, the better an umbra dragon could feed. With its black scales, it was near impossible to see at night, but with his eyes it stood out against the stars like a lighthouse beacon.

A growl rumbled from his throat as the beast climbed back to the forest floor. His stomach still twisted in hunger, but it would have to be appeased later. Even in his beastly form, Syrus couldn’t in his heart leave the people of the city to face that creature. Even with torches lining the walls and streets, they’d never see its approach. An umbra dragon’s roar was such that it sounded like it could be coming from anywhere, and their camouflage against the sky made them all but invisible to normal people’s eyes unless the glint of the firelight bounced off their scales.

The beast bounded through the forest, tailing the dragon as fast as his current state would allow. His vision swam slightly, but he shook his head to clear it and hurried as fast as he could for the city. By the time he reached the southern entrance, the gates had sprung closed. The sound of battle could be heard within and the screams of people fleeing for somewhere safe to hide. A growl of annoyance left the beast before he stood up, digging his claws into the stone wall. Normally, he could just shove the gate open if he wanted to, but exhaustion and hunger had left him drained, and his nightly strength had diminished with it. He’d have to settle for climbing.

By the time he reached the top, the beast was panting. He nearly collapsed on the spot, but when a mage and some archers spotted him, he was on the move again. His exhaustion was making him careless however, so he didn’t escape without a burn and some arrows in his back. Luckily with his thicker skin, the arrows didn’t pierce enough to draw blood, unlike a crossbow’s bolt. While the burn stung, it would heal up before an entire day when by. At least with his curse came relatively quick healing.

Syrus hurried down the wall, his eyes spotting the dragon heading for the heart of the city. With a growl, he propelled himself off the wall, landing haphazardly on a rooftop. Some of the thatch came loose and he nearly fell off, but with the help of his claws he dug in and started tailing after the dragon over the top of the city.

~~~

The haunting call of the umbra roused the Rose from her slumber. While she didn’t know exactly what was happening, she knew something was attacking the city. Grabbing her gear, she quickly dressed and hurried out to the balcony. With a graceful leap, she somersaulted and took off with a run the second her feet touched the earth. Something overhead blotted out the stars and whatever it was was large, but she couldn’t make out what it was. Reaching town square, she brandished her crossbow and fired multiple bolts at the large shape.

She pierced something, because a banshee-like shriek echoed through the streets. Amelie wasn’t the only one that took notice, as the city guard prepared for battle and several other Hunters and Huntresses came out to defend Anthem. And she wasn’t the only one to shoot projectiles. Archers fired volleys of arrows into the sky and mages shot spells while others lit up braziers that lined the walls and streets.

The umbra dragon let out a terrible screech, a purple mist expelling from its mouth. The shadows began to twist and writhe before they took form into the umbra’s image but smaller. The shades began to attack the town, sowing destruction in their wake as the guard and the Hunters fought to take out the shades.

The Rose brandished her warhammer in one hand and crossbow in the other. With a war cry of her own, she raced down the street. Several shades came for her, claws armed and ready to strike. Twirling the hammer in her grip, the spiked end impaled one of the shades and she brought it back around to smash the flat head into another. In one fluid motion she turned her foot and switched her stance to shoot bolts into several more ahead of her to clear a path down the street and allow several citizens to get to safety.

She continued down the street, ears perking to the sounds around her. One shade tried to catch her by surprise but she brought the spike opposite the flat head to impale the living shadow in the face before it could get her, smirking to herself.

‘The Wolf’s lessons are starting to pay off,’ she thought as she turned down an alley to circle back around toward the town square when she spotted the large obscurity over the stars again, ‘I’ll have to remember to thank him when I see him again.’

Above the cacophony on the ground, the shades also flew over the city. Several spotted the beast bounding across the roofs in pursuit of the umbra dragon. Unlike those below, he could see the umbra much more clearly. The starlight against it might as well be the daytime sun glinting off its scales. Of course the umbra knew this; it was old, quite ancient, and smart since it could see through its own creations. It had searched long for such an exquisite buffet and it wasn’t about to let the comparatively small beast ruin its meal.

Though they were made of shadows, they still made even the slightest noise. The were-beast’s ears heard the soft whooshing of their wings and with swift movement despite his size, he pushed himself off the roof to the next, twisting himself in the air as he landed and bringing his claws down upon the shades. Like the others taken out, it dissipated like smoke.

Another haunting screech echoed over Anthem and the beast’s eyes snapped around to find the dragon again. He caught sight of the winged reptile landing above city hall, the tallest structure in the area. It called forth more shadows and with a second wind of whatever energy remained Syrus propelled himself across the rooftops again. He took out several more shades that came for him, but one distraction too many caused him to miscalculate one jump and he jumped too short. He made a grab for the roof ledge and his claws sunk into the wall to stop him falling far. He tried to pull himself up but too many shades quickly overwhelmed him. He lost his grip and tumbled to the cobblestone street over a story below.

A snarl of pain ripped from his jaws when his burned back slammed into the street. He unfortunately wasn’t the only one on the street as three hunters spotted him. One shot enchanted arrows at him that lit up with fire as they flew through the air. Another threw hand-made explosives at the beast while a third, a mage, shot spikes of ice his way. He grunted with effort as he flipped onto all fours and kept his body low. The arrows flew over his head and instead caught a nearby building on fire. He took off as the bombs hit the street, singing his long fur while the small shockwave from the percussive blasts were enough to knock him down just long enough for a pair of ice spikes to impale him, one in his side, the other in his shoulder where the Rose had shot him a few nights ago. He bit his tongue to keep from howling in pain as he skidded around a sharp corner, heading down market street toward town hall and knocking several stalls over to impede the pursuit. He started to favor his left arm again but pushed forward through the pain as the square came into view.

Shades were gathered en masse in the area. Claws alone wouldn’t be enough; he needed something with more reach but without his sword he’d need to improvise. Several statues had been erected in times past commemorating Hunters and Huntresses that had given their lives in the line of duty, and they were always carved with their weapons in hand. While he wasn’t normally one to defile memorials like that, desperate times called for desperate measures. He clawed his way through a few shades and yanked a rather large stone sword from the nearest statue. He wielded the heavy stone with ease in one hand as he stood on his two legs and started fighting with an improvised style with his beast form to clear a path to town hall.

Amelie reached the square before most others did. She was starting to run out of ammo for her crossbow so switched to relying more on her hammer. Her stance switched for her to hold it in two hands and allow her to put more power behind her strikes. The flat head bowled through legions of shades as she finally spotted the shape above. By the time she reached halfway, mages were starting to rain fireballs down on the area. Other Hunters showed up as well and started to take out the legion of shades. The Rose was able to reach town hall when the path was cleared for her and by the time she did, she spotted another beast scaling the side of the stone building. Her eyes widened, recognizing the shape as the dire wolf-like creature from a few days ago.

“You!” she screamed, breaking out into a full-on sprint, “I’ll end you monster!”

Syrus’s ears twitched to the sound of the Rose’s voice despite everything. He glanced toward her briefly before he resumed his climb. She screamed and fought to get inside the building, racing up the stairs.

By the time she reached the roof, the wolf-like beast was engaging the umbra dragon. He threw a stone sword at its vulnerable underbelly with all his might. The dragon tried to slash at him as he sank back to all fours, but he took off and managed to dodge it as he circled around to try and get at one of its wings. Right as he tried, a crossbow bolt shot past him and bounced off the dragon’s scales. The reptilian beast flapped its wings and turned around, swiping its tail at its assailants, spikes facing them.

Before Amelie could even swing her hammer at the wolf creature, both it and her were swept off their feet and thrown toward the ground below. Her hammer flew from her grasp and impacted the cobblestone several yards below. The blow knocked her for a loop and left her vision swimming badly. Syrus nearly passed out, but clarity returned to his mind enough that he realigned himself to grab the woman by the scruff of her cloak and his claws dug into the side of a nearby building to slow their descent. He let her go when she started to regain her senses, when she started to swear and thrash in his grasp to get free. His own grip slipped and they both fell the last few feet with a thud on the street.

Amelie stood to retrieve her hammer while the delirious beast fought to get to his feet. His body wanted desperately to give out, but he just couldn’t let it yet. The umbra was still there, and he needed to get away from the Rose’s murderous wrath.

Or so he thought.

It unleashed a cry of pain as the city guard finally showed up in force with the other Hunters and Huntresses. With a force like that, the dragon was bombarded with arrow and spell alike. It had no choice but to retreat, and retreat it did, disappearing once again into the inky blackness of night.

Amelie pulled her hammer free where it had embedded itself by the top spike into the pavement and pointed it at the beast she didn’t know was Syrus.

“You have some nerve to come here monster,” she growled, advancing on him as he started to back up with unsteady steps, “After what you did to me before, and because of you, that dragon got away.” She flashed a dangerous smile at him and started laughing, eyes narrowing slightly. “Oh but you’re weakened now aren’t you? I can see it. You’re not getting away this time, monster!”

His back was to the wall as he looked around for something he could use to save himself. As she ran for him, the spiked end of her hammer brandished and ready to swing, he knocked out the break of a nearby cart. The street was slightly angled and a heavy load in the back sent it straight for Amelie. He took advantage and broke into a run, breath heaving as he headed for the wall. He clumsily pulled himself up onto the roof of a shop while she chased him down on the road, trying to head him off before he could reach the wall. The gates were still down, and she thought in his weakened state he wouldn’t be able to scale it, leaving her free to take the monster out and make the world just a little bit safer.

Imagine her shock when he leapt and his claws hooked into the wall. The beast scaled it though she was sure he was struggling. She had no ammo left in her quiver for her crossbow and by the time she reached the wall where he was scaling, he was too high to get a clear shot by throwing her hammer without endangering the city guard trying to take the beast out in her stead.

He took the punishment, fighting the tears trying to bud in the corners of his eyes as he finally reached the rampart of the wall. He was shot by several arrows in his haste to get through, shoving several archers out of the way in the process. He leapt off the wall and grabbed onto a tree branch some feet beyond just as a lightning bolt was shot his way. He wasn’t outright struck, but the charge went through the tree he was swinging on. It jolted through his system as the branch broke, sending him tumbling through the trees where he landed in a pile of broken branches and bushes.

The Wolf’s vision swam, black starting to dot the corners of his vision as he tried to get further away. His body refused to move more than a few feet, everything finally catching up to him. The world faded out to complete black and he passed out on the spot.


	5. Chapter 5

Amelie was worried. She hadn’t seen Syrus all morning. Normally their lessons started about now, but he was nowhere to be found. As the minutes ticked by, he failed to show. She started looking for him in all the places she knew he frequented, especially that tavern that seemed to love him so. They’d not seen hide nor hair of him since the previous day, and she didn’t find him at the training area or where he’d started teaching her meditation. He wasn’t at town hall either.

As she left the hall, her jade eyes swept across the area. A crowd was milling about, reconstructing the damage from the previous night. She decided to take an easy E-ranked job that morning for a healing center that needed herbs collected from the southern forest for health poultices and potions for other ailments. Perhaps he was already out in the field and she would find him in her mission for the ingredients.

With bolts replenished and a basket to collect the herbs in, the Huntress headed out the southern gate to begin her job. After all, being a Hunter wasn’t all about just slaying monsters that threatened peoples’ lives, it was about saving them, making their lives better. Sometimes it involved guard duty for caravans or even something as menial as collecting herbs. Health centers needed them, as even healing magic could only do so much sometimes.

About half an hour into collecting some herbs, she spotted something in some bushes nearby. Curious, she stood to investigate only for her surprise to turn to shock then to concern when she saw a badly injured blue hedgehog unconscious in the bushes. He was bare of clothing and she couldn’t stop a blush from dusting her cheeks as she knelt down to check on him. He was breathing at least, if a little shallowly. Glancing around, the girl removed her cloak and wrapped it around his body, protecting some of his modesty at least as she tried her best not to stare as she hauled him over her shoulders. Herb gathering was going to have to wait; she had something much more immediate and pressing to take care of.

~~~

Syrus awoke with a start and a sharp intake of breath. He gasped for breath, trying to sit up, but his body wouldn't let him. He fell back onto his pillow as a pair of healers rushed in to check on the hedgehog. Behind them, a pink hedgehog trailed in with a basket in her hands. Her eyes widened when their eyes met and relief washed over her face. She very nearly ran up to hug him, but restrained herself knowing he was probably in pain.

Syrus blinked a few times as clarity calmed his mind. He watched her come around to a chair near the side of the bed, not missing a blush starting to dust her cheeks. Once the healers were satisfied and left him in his little room, the Rose pulled the chair closer and set the basket gently on the edge of the bed.

“I’m glad...you’ve finally awakened,” she said in a strangely shy voice, “You gave me quite a scare. I didn’t...know if you were going to make it, after I brought you here.”

He watched her mannerisms, how she avoided looking directly at him, how her voice was so surprisingly soft, and the way she fidgeted nervously and her blush only seemed to grow. He looked toward the ceiling, expression thoughtful as he tried to remember what had happened to him. It didn’t take long to piece it together, what had happened. It took all he had not to let a violent blush of embarrassment erupt on his face.

“Ahem…” he cleared his throat, trying to sound casual, “I...thank you, for...assisting me.” His voice was rough, exhaustion still present but at least much more bearable. “You ah, didn’t...ahem, you didn’t...see anything, did you…?”

She was fidgeting with her braid when he looked at her. “Not...nothing much…” she replied, “No…” She smiled shyly. “You have a...very nice physique however.”

His voice caught in his throat before he looked away until the heat in his face died back down. “I...thank you…” he said, his heart speeding up and him more than ready to change the subject, “So, what...what’s in your basket…?”

“Oh!” she exclaimed, “I...I brought you something to eat, from that tavern you seem to like a lot. I figured you’d be starving. You’ve been asleep since I found you.”

She opened the lid and the various smells hit him all at once. His hunger returned with a vengeance and he nearly doubled over from the pain of it. Despite how much it hurt, he forced himself to sit up. As she was pulling out some of the food, he already swiped it and tore into it like an animal.

“Oh my,” she said in surprise, “If I’d known you were that hungry, I’d have brought more.” She stood up and took the emptied basket with her. “I’ll be right back.”

Amelie left the healer’s hut. The tavern was a little too far for a second trip, but there was a bakery just a few doors down across the street. Syrus didn’t strike her as a picky eater, so she entered and bought as many baked goods as her basket could hold and even then it was overstuffed. By the time she returned, everything from her first trip was already gone and the Wolf was eyeing her basket hungrily. Perhaps she’d underestimated just how starving he really was the first time around. It was a good thing she’d stuffed her basket so full. She took a small chunk of cinnamon bread and an oatmeal cookie for herself and left the rest to him. He dug in ravenously, a pace that surprised her after all that he’d eaten earlier.

She watched him in thoughtful silence, politely eating her own treats while he ate like a wild animal. By the time he finally started to slow, most of the baked goods had been demolished. Only a few morsels remained when he finally fell back into the pillow with a content sigh, suppressing a burp in some vain semblance of manners while the lady was present.

Amelie couldn’t help glancing inside the basket, shocked at how empty it was. “Never have I seen anyone consume so much at once,” she remarked, “How are you not getting sick now?”

He couldn’t suppress the yawn. “Well...high metabolism,” he replied, “Need to fuel all that running somehow...Also have a, ah...an advanced healing factor, heal a little bit faster than most so there is that as well.”

She laughed softly, tucking her bangs aside. “Speaking of, if….if you don’t mind me asking, what happened last night?” she asked, “I’m...no healer, but I recognize wounds caused by magic when I see them.”

“I was...out on a hunt, for a chimera,” he lied, “I tracked it to a cave I thought was its layer...turned out there was a witch dwelling within. I wasn’t equipped to deal with her, and she nearly ended my life. It was all I could do to get back to Anthem…”

“And...your, ahem, your clothes…?” Amelie asked.

“Likely stolen while I was out cold. Bandits can be very ballsy.”

“I see…” Amelie replied, resting her head in her hand thoughtfully, “Did you know a dragon attacked last night? Black as night and able to summon shades.”

“Oh? Sounds like an umbra dragon.”

“You know of them?”

“A bit. Heard stories in my travels...never seen one myself.”

“Ah.” She shifted slightly in her chair. “Do you happen to know if, well...they can call other beasts to their side? Actual beasts, not shades.”

His brow furrowed, but other than that Syrus didn’t react. “I...don’t believe so. Why do you ask?”

She shrugged. “No reason, other than that dire wolf creature showed up again. It was gravely injured, likely by other Hunters. I nearly caught it, but it ran and scaled the wall out of the city before I could deal the finishing blow.”

“It’s probably long gone,” he replied with a shrug.

“I know not. I feel as if it will return sometime soon.” She turned her gaze toward him, almost as if studying him. “You wouldn’t...know anything about it would you?”

“No,” he lied again, well practiced in how to dance around the question, “My night hunts take me far from the city...I know nothing of what transpired here while I was away, other than what you’ve told me.”

Her brow furrowed, not entirely believing him but unable to tell if he was actually lying. He was so stone-faced sometimes it was near impossible to get a read on what he was thinking, if he was trying to hide something.

She sighed softly, deciding it better to drop the subject for the time being. She sensed he was close to shutting down on her and she didn’t want him hating her to any point he’d refuse to train her.

“So…” she started, fidgeting with her braid as she looked for a change of subject, “It looks like...you’ll be out of commission for awhile. I...already finished the mission I took earlier.” She looked to him with bright eyes, like a child trying to impress their parents. “I...I even went to the training hall to try your blindfolded exercises on my own! It...didn’t go over as well as I’d hoped, but, I’m getting better, I can feel it. I tried meditating too, but...that went over worse. It’s unnerving to me doing it alone, how silent it is in that secluded place.”

He blinked, an impressed smile crossing his features. “Well done Amelie,” he replied, “I’m impressed you’re making such an effort. Just, don’t push yourself too hard. You train for so many hours, it’s bound to take a toll on your well-being.” That and he wanted her to slow down so he had more time with the training. It was getting increasingly risky to remain in Anthem, because the better she became the more easily she’d find his beastly half at night. He knew he could leave anytime he wanted, but he was trying to steer her away from the path of revenge.

Her smile fell. “I must train. I need to do this. I promised long ago I would get revenge on the one that took everything from me and I refuse to rest until my goal is fulfilled.”

A frown creased his features. “Getting your revenge won’t bring whomever it is you’ve lost back. Take it from someone that’s seen this path too many times to count. It always ends in ruin and emptiness. It’s not a price worth paying.”

“I don’t care!” she cried, tears starting to bud in her eyes against her will, “You know nothing of what I’ve been through, the lengths I’ve gone to get where I need to be! I made a promise that I intend to keep! I’ve already told you, I’m going to see this through no matter the cost!”

“It won’t matter if you’re dead!” he argued, a feral edge in his voice despite sleep trying to pull him under again.

“Then I’ll live and die by my vow,” she said coldly, “knowing I took a killer down with me.” She stood up, brushing her lap off of crumbs. “You should rest more. You still need to regain your strength and heal. I will see you later.”

He tried to reach for her to stop her, but any speed he had failed him. He couldn’t find the strength to stand, let alone sit up again. All his energy was leaving him and it wasn’t long before his heavy lids finally succumbed and he was pulled back into the embrace of sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Over the next few days, Amelie had started dialing back how long she trained for. She didn’t want to lose Syrus as a mentor. He was one of the best she could remember having despite being only two years senior to her. It was okay to push herself, but did she really have the right to push him to his limit? He always had a hard time finding sleep, especially given his jobs that probably stretched late into the night and left little room for rest. She needed him in top condition when he took her out on blindfolded missions in case she got herself hurt in the process, which seemed to happen often. His speed certainly impressed her.

At least she was starting to get better, all things considered. The meditation was helping her to learn better control over her temper, and while she still had outbursts from frustration, they were becoming less frequent. She was getting better at listening to her surroundings as well, and using her other senses in order to make up for her lack of sight, though she still had some way to go.

He decided that today they would be taking on a longer distance mission to see if she could handle a longer time without her sight. When they checked the missions available on the board however, the only one they could find available for the day was escorting a logging caravan to and from a lumber site. This one was going to take at least a couple days, but it paid well even with splitting the reward. They met the caravan of several carts and some hired guards from the city where he and Amelie would bring up the mid to rear guard.

Several hours in, the two found they didn’t have much to do. Despite the B rank for the job, nothing had happened in that time. He thought about blindfolding the Rose just for kicks to see if she would stumble or not, but thought better of it, deciding he’d rather not risk getting hit by that hammer of hers. She had yet to actually land a hit on him in his daylight form, but she’d tried more than a few times. Speaking of, the design on it wasn’t one he was familiar with.

“Amelie,” he started, no longer accidentally calling her ‘Rose’ but not yet comfortable with her nickname, “Your hammer; I’ve been curious where the name came from. Dommen Steg? That means…”

“Judgement Rose, yes,” she finished. She removed the weapon from its holster on her back, one hand on the handle while the other ran over the name and design engraved on it. “A gift from my father many years ago. It went by a different name, but after I lost---” She shook her head, cutting the memory off before the words could pass her lips. “Well, suffice to say I dedicated my life to ridding the world of monsters after that happened. I had the name changed, but the family crest remained. I dared not touch that, after my father died.”

His eyes widened a little. “I’m sorry for your loss,” he apologized, “If it’s any consolation, I know your pain; both of my parents are gone.”

She looked at him, her eyes a mix of both sympathy and surprise. “Oh?” she remarked, “May I...ask how they…?” She trailed off.

He crossed his arms and glanced at the clear azure sky. “There...was a raid one night. I was just a boy, barely thirteen. I wasn’t much of a fighter then, and my father was out hunting. He preferred to do it at night, and a large group of raiders came and attacked our home. It was my parents and I in one cabin, one of my uncles and his family in another, and my other uncle on his own in a third. My father was the middle one, and his older brother had gone with him, the one with a family.” He felt his hackles rising at the memory, and it took all he had not to growl in response to them.

“If it’s too much, you don’t have to---”

He held up a hand to stop her. “It’s alright. It’s probably good to talk about it.” In all honesty, he was already feeling better about it. Even if he was omitting some details, it felt good to talk about it. “Now where was I? Oh, yes, the raiders.” He inhaled and exhaled a steadying breath that helped him calm down. “They attacked us in the dead of night, stole my mother and my aunt away. My other uncle tried to stop them, but they shot him and a small band came after my cousins and I. My father and his older brother must’ve heard the commotion because they came back quickly. They killed the band that was trying to murder us children at the time and...followed after the ones that had escaped. I was the oldest at the time, so I stayed behind to look after my cousins and see if I could help my uncle who’d been shot…” He felt tears brimming in his eyes and looked away so she wouldn’t see. “Only my uncle returned...Him and my father fought tooth and nail to get them back, but by the time they found the raiders, both of their wives were dead, raped and tortured before their throats were slit… Both flew into a rage, or...so I was told. My father was always the stronger one, my uncle used to say. They overwhelmed him, but not before he took out more than half the raiders with him.”

It was Amelie who was crying now. “I’m so sorry for your loss,” she said, wiping vainly at her eyes, “No one should have to go through that.”

Her sympathy touched him, a part of him he’d long thought gone. “Thank you. It’s...very much appreciated.”

Amelie smiled, playing with the end of her braid a bit nervously. “So, um...” she started, looking to change the subject, “What about your sword? The inscription intrigues me. Himmelens Vrede? ‘Wrath of Heaven’ if I’m not mistaken. Why such a name?”

He chuckled, glad the air between them had lightened as he rested a hand on the sword’s hilt. “It wasn’t a name of my choosing if that’s what you’re asking. It’s always had that name. The sword has been passed down through my family through many generations. It’s helped me out of some tough spots, and I suppose the name is surprisingly fitting, seeing as my real name literally means ‘sun’. It’s kind of ironic, in a way.” More ironic than the girl would ever know.

“I suppose it is,” Amelie agreed, shifting her thick bangs to the side, “Most fitting indeed.”

A silence settled between them for the rest of the trip to the lumberyard. When their destination was reached several hours later, the Hunter and Huntress aided the loggers and guard in setting up equipment and tents and getting the horses food and water. As sunset loomed Syrus made a convincing excuse in order to separate from the group for the night, promising to return by dawn’s light.

When he felt he was a fair distance away, he removed his belongings and stored them in a hollow tree he found, collapsing to his hands and knees soon after. The transformation was painful like always, but he bit his tongue in order to try and keep the howl of agony quiet. It didn’t work as well as he intended, but he could at least be sure there were wolf packs in the woods somewhere, because distant howls answered him. He could only pray it was enough that no one would investigate, especially not Amelie.

He crept back toward the lumberyard, remaining hidden in the shadows of the treeline that bordered the logging area. He could still do his job, even if in secret, and resolved to silently patrol the edges while avoiding the eyes of anyone else on watch.

At one point he spotted the Rose crossing the clearing toward a tent pitched somewhat of a distance from the others. It was getting quite late, and he wondered if she was out on patrol or if perhaps her shift was done for the night. Curiosity getting the better of him, the Wolf crept along the edge in shadow to get closer to her tent. He knew he shouldn’t be doing this, it was risky and with how far her training was progressing she might catch him despite his near flawless camouflage.

She entered the tent and a candle lit up the inside. His head tilted to the side slightly as he watched her silhouette move in the glow of the candlelight. He crept just slightly forward, keeping silent and pulled the branches of some bushes aside to get a clearer view. His eyes widened when he realized she was getting undressed within the tent and had likely purposely pitched her tent away from the others as the caravan workers, loggers, and guard consisted mainly of men. She didn’t want them watching her undress by candlelight, and here he was doing just that. He knew better, but he couldn’t tear his gaze awake from her silhouette. First he saw the shape of her cloak slide off her shoulders as she unclipped it, then she sat in order to remove her heeled long boots. She stood again after tossing them into a corner of the tent he couldn’t see before she started sliding her pants down her shapely legs.

He felt his face growl hot. He knew Amelie was no stranger to showing off; her top had a rather large window in it after all; but he knew better than to stare at her breasts whenever he saw her. If nothing else, he at least respected women, especially warriors like her. Watching her undress like this, even just a silhouette, he couldn’t help everything male and as primal as a beast in him urging him to go in there and claim her. He shook his head, shoving the thoughts out of his mind as hard as he could. The motion made him a little careless and he accidentally snapped some of the bush branches, and rather loudly. He saw her silhouette freeze and, not wasting even another second before she came out in a silken gown brandishing her warhammer and yelling at the peeping Tom that they better run or they’d meet the sharp end of her hammer, he did exactly that.

He ran until he lost any sight of the camp before he skidded to a stop near the tree he’d left his belongings in, claws scraping softly across the dirt. He panted, heart hammering in his large chest as he glanced back, relieved no one was following him. He sat down and leaned back against a tree, glowing eyes closed. Everything still felt too warm, and his face was especially hot. He was sure it was enflamed red, and his mind did him no favors in drawing up images of what Amelie looked like without her clothes on.

He grunting in frustration, pounding the ground with his fist and turning several small rocks to dust beneath it. Those green-embered eyes opened partially, and were he able to speak he would have swore a dark oath. Things were suddenly getting a lot more complicated between the two of them, and he was starting to consider whether or not he should abandon the mission and get lost altogether.

But, he couldn’t just do that…

The day he’d signed up to be a Hunter he took an oath to protect the people at all costs, and over his entire career he’d held fast to that promise. As much as he was a drifter in the last several years, he would always stop and take on a few missions from the towns he passed through, or would just stop and help someone who needed it if he could. It would go against everything he stood for if he were to abandon everyone here, and moreover, abandon the girl he’d promised to train. And more than that, abandon a promise he’d made to himself to get her off this path of revenge if he could. Even if things turned complicated like they were, he had to try.


	7. Chapter 7

He couldn’t say he’d never seen a woman in the nude, but he couldn’t remember the last time it had impacted him like that. Even in his dreams, when he managed to catch a little shut-eye as a beast, imaginings he had no right to be having of Amelie trickled into his dreams. He was glad when the coming of dawn forced him out of his slumber, the crippling pain a reminder of why he had no right to have such thoughts, no right to pursue her or any other woman for that matter. A curse he sought to end once and for all.

When he could move again, Syrus donned his clothing and strapped his sword back on, returning to camp. He got a lot of questions as to where he had been all night, but he danced around them all as expertly as he always did. They accepted his answers and started off to work. At some point he spotted Amelie approaching, but purposely avoided her by helping with felling, stripping, and loading the logs onto the caravan carts. It was grueling work, but he welcomed the manual labor to keep his mind otherwise occupied.

It could only last so long however, especially when the super strong girl decided to start aiding with loading to make things go just a little bit faster. When loading was done and the tents stripped down in the early afternoon, everyone decided to break for a meal before they got moving. Syrus opted for something small, figuring he could get something bigger later on that day or even night.

Amelie approached him while he was eating on his own beneath an unfelled tree. He didn’t notice her at first, until she sat down in front of him. He nearly choked on a mouthful of bread when she offered him a plate with some meat on it. He looked from it to her.

“You’ll need your strength,” she clarified.

He took the plate without a word, admittedly feeling peckish still. For a time they ate in silence, but the rose-hued woman had a question nagging in her mind that just wouldn’t leave her alone.

“Where were you last night?”

This time he really did choke and coughed while banging on his chest. He managed to dislodge whatever got stuck and force it down.

“I, uh...w-where was I last night?” he asked, shifting nervously, “W-Well I...was on patrol. Can’t be too careful after all. I got some sleep though.”

“Out in the woods among the wolves?”

He shrugged. “I...prefer sleeping in nature if I can. It’s calming to me.”

She tilted her head, shifting a little closer. He felt her presence close in and averted his gaze. He didn’t want to risk staring at her, especially when she was getting so close.

“Are you sure?” she asked, “Because you seem---”

She never got the chance to finish what she was going to ask, because everyone was called to get a move on. Syrus finished his food quickly and rushed over to the very front of the caravan before Amelie could blink. She sighed and took care of the dishes before joining the rest of the caravan and guard to get the carts moving. He was acting quite strange now, and it was worrying the Huntress. She couldn’t seem to get him to talk to her much however, so decided to wait until they returned to Anthem. If it was by night though, she’d need to wait until the next morning as she could never find him anywhere at night.

The road they followed took them alongside a cliff that led into a deep ravine. At the bottom, water raged in foaming rapids over sharp rocks and dead logs lodged into the bottom. Eventually it would spill out into the sea, closer to Anthem. Stone walls were erected in places to serve as guard barriers closer to the cliff, but it had been a long time since they were maintained. Moss and grass grew over many stones, and parts of it were badly weathered and even missing.

A few hours in, Amelie could stand the silence no longer. She quickened her pace, trying to reach the blue hedgehog up near the front of the guard. Before she could reach him however, something jumped out of the trees on the other side of the road, spooking the horses. A pair of bear-like creatures hissed at the caravan, spikes lining from the top of their heads, down their backs, to the tips of their tails. It almost looked like some strange amalgam of bear and lizard, but it didn’t take long for Amelie to realize what they were.

Chupacabras.

Not often sighted but certainly more common than umbra dragons, they were cunning and insatiably hungry. Normally they drained their chosen prey dry, leaving dry husks behind. It wasn’t usually normal to see any of them during the day, especially in pairs, but something must have driven them to daytime hunting because here they were now, out in full sunlight.

As big as they were, the horses were still spooked and it caused a chain reaction throughout the other cart horses. The violent jolt caused the rope to snap on two of the log carts and the large trunks started rolling down toward the ravine.

“Hunters, Squad Beta, secure the timber!” the captain commanded, “Squad Alpha, defend the workers while they calm the horses! Squad Omega, with me! We take these creatures out!”

As Alpha took defensive positions with shields and magic, Omega joined the captain in taking out the chupacabras, Beta joined the Hunter and Huntress in securing the timber. Syrus grabbed all the spare rope he could and a net normally used for fishing. Fastening them together at a blurring speed, he took off like the crack of a whip to secure one end to a thick tree. There wasn’t another close enough to stop the rolling logs so he raced it around to catch the logs into a net. He put on the breaks and started to run it back up the hill, but the logs were far too heavy for him alone. Beta caught up and it took all of them just to keep the net from escaping the Wolf’s grip.

Still they struggled, but Amelie ran around to the front of the log pile and used her strength to act as a wall. She gritted her teeth and dug her heeled boots into the forest floor. The pile already captured in the net stopped and together everyone started to drag it back up the hill.

The net started to fray from the strain. A lot of weight placed much pressure on thread not made for such a purpose. It creaked, threatening to give way as much of the load was dragged safely back up next to the road. Before all of the timber made it to safety, the net snapped. The jolt caused Amelie to lose her footing and thus her grip. Three logs slipped through, smacking hard into her and sending the woman tumbling toward the ravine. She didn’t get a good grip until her hand enclosed around a root growing out of the side of the cliff.

“Help!” she screamed, her arms too tired to pull herself up with the weight of her warhammer.

“Amelie!” Syrus yelled, responding immediately, “I’m coming!”

He skidded to a stop near the edge as the logs that had knocked her in slammed into the current belong, snapping upon impact. She was too far down to reach just by stretching his arm down. He wasn’t sure he could climb the vertical face to grab her. If he had claws like his night form, he definitely could, but he couldn’t wait for sunset nor let all these people find out, so he needed to improvise. Thinking quick, he undid his cloak from his person and secured it around an old stone pillar that was still standing.

“Hurry!” she cried, struggling just to keep her grip, “I’m slipping!”

“Hang on!” he encouraged, “Just a little longer!”

Tying the other end around his hand, he lowered himself as far as the fabric would allow. Still, it wasn’t quite far enough. He dug his free hand into the wall and lowered his feet toward her.

“Grab my feet! I’ll pull you up to me!” he instructed.

“I can’t! I’ll fall!”

“Just do it! Trust me!”

It took all she had just to stretch up to reach his boots. The root gave way, and she nearly fell with it but managed to cling to his ankle. He grunted when the weight of her warhammer dragged them down several inches. His fingers dug into the cliff while the cloak went taut, threatening to rip just like the net did. It held strong, for now, giving the blue hedgehog time to bend his legs up to get her close enough to pull up to him. Sweat rolled down his brow as his free hand let go of the cliff and grabbed her arm. With a mighty tug he was able to pull her up enough to hook her arms around his neck.

“Hang on, I’ll get us out!” he promised.

He kept his arm around her for extra security, thought that unfortunately left him with only his left arm to pull them up. He dug his feet into the side of the cliff, feeling like his hand was going to give out from the loss of circulation. He shifted the woman higher on his person, allowing her to wrap her legs around his waist for extra grip and freeing up his other arm to dig into the cliff.

He felt the cloak give a little and knew he had to move faster. He gritted his teeth, feeling everything strain from trying to pull their combined weights up a vertical cliff. Something in his left shoulder popped and he snarled a dark oath, digging his feet further into the cliffside and getting them closer to salvation inch by inch. The cloak started to rip, causing him to shout in pain when his shoulder completely dislocated itself.

Several of the guards were already making their way down the hill after quickly realizing their hired Hunters were still missing now that the two chupacabras were dead, catching sight of where the red cloak was tied. They grabbed onto it and pulled in unison. After another tense moment, pink and blue appeared over the face. They were dragged up past the broken fence before Syrus finally let go, the pain in his arm too much to bear. He should be used to dislocating and even breaking bones, considering what he went through every dawn and dusk, but it never failed to ache like hell.

“Gods be damned…” he swore, holding the useless limb once he let Amelie go and sat up.

She shifted herself onto his knees, nearly hugging him out of gratitude but realised just how injured he was.

“Here, let me,” she offered. She hovered over him as he looked on with a reserved expression. She smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I can fix it. You’ll barely even feel it.”

“That’s not how it usually wor--”

He was cut off when a shout of pain instead left his lips. She had little strength left after that whole ordeal drained her, but it was more than enough to shove the dislocated bone back into place. He glared at her but soon realized that, though the arm was now incredibly sore, he could move it again.

“Where...where did you learn to do that?” he asked in amazement.

“I’ve had many myself. I’ve had to learn to improvise when I’m too far from healing,” she replied with a shrug.

“Well, color me impressed,” he remarked with a smirk.

The blue warrior climbed to his feet, offering his good arm to the girl. Amelie accepted, but as soon as she was on her feet she stumbled and he caught her in one fast motion before she could go down again.

“Are you alright?” he asked, concern coloring his voice.

She looked up at his sweat drenched face as it glistened in the sun, a blush cresting her cheeks. “I-I’ll be okay,” she assured, “I-I just...used up more of my energy than I thought.”

“Can you stand?”

She tried of course, wanting to protect her pride, but her legs felt like jelly and she fell again. He pulled her back against his chest before she could fall far.

“I-I don’t think so..” she finally admitted, ears folding back in embarrassment.

“Don’t worry. I can support you. My legs are strong if nothing else.”

Her blush deepened as he shifted her so she could rest an arm around his neck. His uninjured arm helped support her as they went back up the hill together and he led her to one of the carts other passengers were riding in while the remaining logs were properly secured back down.

“Here, you should rest,” he said as he helped her up.

“Wh-What about you? Your arm’s hurt.”

“I’ll be alright,” he promised, “It wasn’t my sword arm, so I can still fight if need be. You, however, should rest. I don’t….want you getting into any trouble again. We can hold off training until tomorrow.”

She looked away, wiping at her eyes as tears started to spill forth. “I’m...I’m sorry...” she apologized.

His eyes widened and he felt compelled to soothe her. His good hand came up, brushing her bangs aside and resting on her cheek. He rubbed the thumb gently beneath her eye, sweeping away the tears that fell.

“You have nothing to apologize for Amelie,” he promised, “You were amazing. I just...I want you to rest okay? I can’t...I don’t want to risk anything happening to you in such a tired condition. I can take care of anything that might come our way if the guards can’t do it alone. Just, do me this favor, please?” He smiled. “Why don’t you work on your meditation? If nothing else, it’ll help you calm down.”

She met his eyes, her mouth forming a small o-shape in surprise at how gentle he was being. She felt her heart pound in her breast, managing only a small nod. She couldn’t help reaching up, brushing her fingers gently against his as he pulled away. She couldn’t feel through the metal or his gloves, but it sent her heart aflutter. She watched him go, resting that same hand against her cheek where he’d touched her so gently.

‘I have to be careful…’ she thought to herself, ‘I still have a promise to fulfill. I can’t...I can’t afford a lot of distraction…’

Syrus felt a strange chill go up his spine as he walked up the the front of the caravan, which was ready to start going. He passed by the cart carrying the bodies of the chupacabras. Someone would want them; beasts like that were worth a fortune, and many parts of them were useful for alchemy to make potions of varying uses. He looked at his good hand, a faint scent of cherry-and-roses tickling inside his nose. Another tingling chill ran up his spine and he rested the palm on his sword’s hilt while looking ahead thoughtfully.

‘I need to be careful…” he thought to himself, ‘I can’t let her get too close...She can’t know what I am, not when I’m the very sort of thing she seeks to destroy…’

That, and he didn’t feel he deserved that sort of chance. Feelings like that led to something deeper, and nine times out of ten that something deeper led to offspring. He couldn’t chance fathering any children. The curse didn’t start really kicking in until the child was at least two, but to put such an innocent being through such pain...it wasn’t worth it. The curse would die with him, one way or another.


	8. Chapter 8

Anthem didn’t celebrate many festivals. Almost all patrons were locals and very few from outside the city ever came, what with how dangerous the roads were.

The Festival of Blooms was a time-honored tradition. Ever since the town was first built, the founders would pay tribute to the land for their bounty, a safe home, fertile soil. Every spring, the festival celebrated life, rebirth, renewal. The square was decorated with all manner of flowers and other flora, some naturally grown, some assisted with magic. Stalls opened up with games that had prizes to be won and food that was made specifically for that time of year alone. Contests were held, from eating contests to tests of strength and battle prowess. Hunters would have friendly tournaments in one-on-one or two-on-two matches, and winners would be awarded a trophy and bragging rights for an entire year. And at the end of it all, a bonfire was lit at night, and people would dance and sing and tell stories. All of it was in tribute to the Mother Gaia, goddess of all life. Spring was her season, and Anthem honored her for her gifts.

Syrus was never one for festivals. He and his family had always been reclusive in nature, tight-knit and rarely venturing to any large towns when he was growing up. When he was left orphaned for his oldest uncle to raise him alongside his cousins, they became nomadic in nature. Even as he became a man, and took an oath as a Hunter, he never stayed in one place for long. He never did care for the crowds and the noise - there was, after all, a reason why he wore the moniker the ‘Lone Wolf’. In the days leading up to it, he never said one thing about going to Amelie, even as it was set up around them every time they ventured to town hall for a job or crossing the square from the inn to get to the training hall for more blindfolded combat drills.

He had to admit, she was getting much better in the near two weeks he’d been training her. She kept her temper more in check now, and though still had trouble listening for the slightest sounds nearby, she was still able to almost always parry him when he took a swing at her. She’d even begun to anticipate where he was going to be next as she shot her crossbow at him. They used blunted training weapons for those sessions of course; it certainly wouldn’t be conducive to be slashing one another up or breaking each other’s bones.

Today though, on the morning of the festival, Syrus could tell her mind was elsewhere. She wasn’t as focused today, and he got in more hits on her than he should have, given how far she’d already progressed. After an hour, he called for a sudden stop, to which she lifted her blindfold in confusion.

“What’s wrong Amelie?” he asked, crossing his arms, “Normally you don’t let me get that many strikes in. Something’s bothering you.”

She looked away, her ears falling as she held one arm in the other. “You’ll think it silly…” she murmured.

He approached her, lifting her chin up to get her to look up at him. “Try me,” he said with a small grin.

She couldn’t help giggling a little as he took a seat on a nearby bench, inviting her to do the same. She took the invitation, sitting beside him and folding her arms to hold each elbow.

“I’m sorry,” she apologized, “I guess I’m just...a little lost in memory today.”

He raised a brow. “You seem sad. That makes me think they were bad ones.”

“Oh no, nothing like that,” she assured, “They were in fact very happy ones.” She looked toward the sky. “I used to go to a lot of festivals growing up. After I lost...someone precious to me, I dedicated myself to being a Huntress and haven’t been to one since. Sometimes I miss them. They remind me of simpler days. I suppose...the memories are just hitting me extra hard today.”

She didn’t realize tears were brimming in her eyes until she blinked and they slid down her cheeks. She gasped softly in surprise, hastily trying to wipe them away. They didn’t escape the Wolf’s notice.

He gently took her hands in his to stop her frenzy, causing her to look at him with wide eyes as more tears slid down her face. Syrus offered a warm smile, his feral eyes softening as he gazed upon her.

“Would you...like to go?” he found himself asking.

“Where? You mean to the Festival of Blooms?” she asked, “Why? You don’t strike me as someone who’d enjoy it.”

“Yes, well…” He paused, looking down while he traced over her knuckles with his thumb. “You are indeed right, but, you might, and that’s enough of a reason.” He looked up again to meet her eyes. “Everyone needs a break sometimes, even Hunters, and I get the feeling you’d enjoy it. We can always continue training tomorrow and, if you felt like it, there’s always the friendly tournament to test your new skills in.”

She beamed, unable to stop herself from happily embracing the blue hedgehog. He sat there somewhat awkwardly, giving her a pat on the back if nothing else. It took her a moment to let go before she realized how uncomfortable he was.

“I’m...I’m so so sorry,” she apologized profusely, bowing her head, “Sometimes I get overzealous like that.”

He laughed. “It’s...it’s alright,” he assured, “Come, we can tidy up and collect our things. If nothing else, I’ll at least enjoy the food.”

“I’ll bet, with how much I’ve seen you eat,” she teased, “They have things you won’t find any other time of the year, so you better get your fill while you can.”

He chuckled, embarrassment tinging his tanned cheeks slightly red. She wasn’t wrong, he did eat a lot. It wasn’t something he could help. He had a very robust metabolism, and all that running burned calories like nobody’s business. That wasn’t even mentioning the fuel the beast’s transformation took every single night.

When they put their training tools away and collected their own weapons, the two departed for the town square. Syrus felt beyond awkward they were doing this, but he’d offered and she’d said yes. As they approached the main hub for the festival, he offered an arm to the Rose.

“Shall we?” he asked.

She laughed and hooked her arm around his. If nothing else, she was already enjoying herself and his attempt at being a gentleman. Not that she cared what he was; she'd rather he acted as himself than anything else. The gesture was kind though, and perhaps he was right that even Hunters needed a break now and then.

Neither expected to draw the eyes of the locals. Everyone seemed to know the tales surrounding the Lone Wolf by now, and the reputation of the Bloody Rose whispered on the wind nearly as loudly. Rumors had already seeded the streets of how he’d taken her on as an apprentice, teaching her to hunt the night beasts as he did. Hushed whispers exchanged rumors of the two - where the Wolf went at night, what the stories surrounding his past were, whether the Rose really was as deadly as she was beautiful, and especially today, if the two were together. Syrus tried to ignore the gossip igniting about the two of them, but that didn’t stop Amelie from quietly voicing her concerns to him.

“They spread rumors of us,” she whispered, sounding slightly irritated.

“Pay them no mind,” he assured, “We each know our own truths, and that is enough. And, if someone tries to start something over these rumors, you have my permission to send them on their way. Just please, use the flat end of the hammer, and do try to hold back on the force behind it.”

The joking quip earned a laugh from her and caused a grin to light on his features. His heart warmed knowing he could make her smile. He was wary of getting in too deep, but for the moment it just felt so natural. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt so at ease with anyone, not since anyone in his family. He’d never really grown up with friends outside his cousins, and at the very least, he felt like he could maybe be her friend and not just her mentor. He’d still need to be careful about letting her know every detail about his life; one slip-up would spell disaster. That didn’t mean he couldn’t offer a glimpse into his past once in awhile.

Amelie brought the Wolf out of his thoughts when she excitedly led him to a display of roses. All manner of color decorated the flowers, some thorned, some not. She leaned forward, closing her eyes and smelling one of the red hued bushes.

“Ah,” she sighed, “Reminds me of home…” She looked up at the curious eyes of the male hedgehog and smiled. “I used to tend a rose garden with my mother long ago. Anthem isn’t my original home after all. Red roses were always my favorite.”

He smiled and while she was admiring some white roses tipped yellow on the petal ends, he pulled out a pair of gold pieces and gave them to the vendor. She cast him a knowing smile and plucked a thornless rose from very bush Amelie had been admiring. He gently touched her shoulder and she turned to him.

“How about a rose for a Rose then?” he offered.

She gasped in surprise as he ever so gently curled the stem over itself and tucked it over her ear. A blush crested her cheeks nearly as red as the rose’s petals. He smiled wider and took a step back to admire his work.

“It suits you,” he complimented before offering her his arm again, “Shall we see what else this festival has to offer?””

In her company, he found it easier and easier to ignore the rumors that passed over the crowds, the people that stepped out of the way out of fear of either the Rose or of him for his scarred appearance. None knew exactly but the scars told a story that he’d been in many battles, and was a force to be reckoned with. They visited several stalls of varying plant displays, watched a demonstration of chloromancy on several crops, and played a few games. They won a few coins each, which they used to buy some baked goodies and take a seat under a shaded table to enjoy their bounty.

“I’m having a lot of fun so far,” Amelie said, “Thank you for asking me to come.”

He blushed lightly, wiping his face of some filling from a juniper berry pie sprinkled with bits of apple and cinnamon. “You’re welcome Amelie. I have to say, this has been nice. I haven’t been to many festivals.”

“What should we do next?” she asked, “After we eat.”

He shrugged. “I’m not sure. Any suggestions?”

“We could try a friendly brawl,” she suggested, “They cast special magic on the combatants in order to limit any extra powers they have, and make their weapons sort of...cushioned I suppose? So say I actually hit you with my hammer, it would be like one of those padded training dummies hitting you.”

“So something like that would limit my speed?”

“And my strength.”

“So in other words, level the playing field to rely on pure skill alone,” he reasoned, “Something like that does indeed sound interesting, though perhaps not right after eating. We could still try it if you wished. In the meantime, we could look at some of the other displays, try a few other games, or whatever you’d like.”

“I’d love to do that ‘try your strength’ game again,” she mused with a smile, “I held back last time. I think I can crack that bell hard enough to break right off the top of the meter.”

“Of that I have no doubt,” he agreed, “Perhaps, if I get to try that fencing obstacle course we passed half an hour ago because you wanted to see the plant magic demonstration. It would never touch me; I’d set a new record.”

They both had a good laugh as they enjoyed the rest of their treats, speaking of what else they might do and see or what other games they could try. In the end, they had a good plan, and after they finished their treats, of which the Wolf ate more than half of, they headed off. Just as she said, Amelie knocked the bell right off the meter upon which it sat. They paid for the damage of course, but it was worth it just to see the looks on the onlooker’s faces. The Rose’s strength was, after all, not just baseless rumor. And he held true to his boast, setting a new record on the fencing course. With his speed and reflexes, nothing could touch him.

They continued exploring for another couple hours before the pair found themselves at the arenas where the friendly matches were taking place. They were raised up on platforms for all spectators to see, and a translucent but visible dome of energy covered each platform, the magic that padded weapons so they didn’t do any real damage and limited any extraordinary abilities the combatants had so they were forced to rely upon their accumulated skills. Each platform had an announcer that used magic to amplify their voices over the watching crowds, but right now only the one-on-one platform was being used. The hedgehogs caught the tail end of a duel where a crocodile with a rather large buster sword was bested by a chameleon ninja using tripwires and kunai knives. It was a rather hilarious sight, but there was no animosity to be had between the two. The crocodile merely let out a hearty laugh and they clasped hands like they were the best for friends.

“What a match that was folks!” the announcer said, “Our arena’s just opened up! Who will be the next pair to go one-on-one in the ring?”

Amelie’s eyes lit up and she turned to Syrus. “Can we? Please?” she begged.

He blinked. “You mean me, against you?” he asked, unsure.

“Yes!” she replied excitedly, “Please? Who better to try my new skills against than my very own mentor?”

She had a point. With a smile, he shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

She gasped happily before she grabbed his hand and pulled him up to the announcer. “We’d like a go at it!”

The announcer adjusted some spectacles on the end of his muzzle. “Really now miss?” he asked, squinting a bit, “Wait I know you two. The Lone Wolf and the Bl--” He cut off when she glared murder at the announcer. “Ahem, the Rose. Quite, yes. Well, you’re rumored to be two of the best Hunters in Anthem. You’ll provide quite a show I should think. Very well, enter the ring if you please.”

Amelie’s happy demeanor returned within seconds and she and Syrus entered the ring. Golden light surrounded each of them, crests appearing on their foreheads that would limit the blue hedgehog’s speed, and only allow the Rose to be able to lift her hammer, but not put the strength behind her attacks. The golden light outlined their weapons, akin to blunting them and cushioning them with many thick layers of cloth. One drew a hammer and the other a sword and when the announcer shouted for it, the match began.

The young Huntress at first thought she had the advantage. Syrus almost always used his speed when she saw him in combat. Little did she know he knew how to go without. He met her blow for blow without fail, a parry, an dodge, a counterattack, and she did the same. Without their extra abilities, they were evenly matched. In time it became a battle dance, so well choreographed one might think the two had rehearsed it beforehand. But that wasn’t the case, the two of them had just trained and worked on missions so much lately that they had begun anticipating one another’s moves without even thinking about it.

The air became tense as the crowd fell silent, in awe at the display. Bets had been placed on who would win, but at this point no one could tell who would be victorious.

At one point, the two weapons hit an impasse, neither side willing to give an inch. The hammer blocked the sword’s slash, and the sword refused to budge for the hammer’s strike. Eyes of two different green hues stared one another down, sweat dripping from their brows and panting from the exertion. A strange quiet settled between them, the world fell away and for just a moment, something unspoken passed between the two of them, frightening and alien but still oh so passionate and almost longing.

Then a smirk passed the Wolf’s lips. He shifted his stance and lowered his center of gravity, twirling beneath her hammer and throwing it off with his sword. In one fluid motion he unbalanced her stance and when she started falling backwards he grabbed her arm and pulled her close in a deep dip, sword raised above him as if to strike. She stared up at him wide-eyed, heart pounding and face turning bright red. His cheeks turned equally colored, and the two completely forgot about the competition until the roar of the crowd snapped them out of their spell.

“We have a winner folks!” the announcer exclaimed, “It was a tense one, but in the end the Lone Wolf proved victorious! Give them a round of applause folks! That was one of the best duels we’ve seen in a long time!”

Syrus blinked, pulling the girl to her feet and sheathing his sword. He waved to the crowd as he and the Rose left the stage, the magic fading when they exited the dome. While the announcer called for a new pair to get up in the ring, the two of them found a quiet bench where they could catch their breath.

“That was...something else,” Syrus commented, wiping some sweat from his brow with the back of his gloved hand, “I don’t think I’ve been in a duel quite like that.”

Words were failing Amelie so she only managed a nod in response. She stared wide-eyed at the sapphire-hued Hunter, feeling like she was starting to really see him for the first time. He wasn’t like anyone else she’d met before, and the thought alone made her heart skip a beat.

She looked away, fidgeting with her braid’s end and smoothing her bangs down when he looked at her. The male blinked, reaching up and readjusting the rose around her ear.

“I’m glad it didn’t get damaged,” he remarked, “It’s too pretty.”

She blushed, hearing the indication behind the words. He wasn’t talking about just the flower. The woman swallowed hard, taking a moment to calm her breathing and find some semblance of her voice.

“U-Um...will you be...w-will you be g-going to the bonfire tonight?” she asked nervously, “Th-There will be a lot of singing and dancing, a-and I know it’s p-probably not your thing, b-but...I think it could be fun...even though everyone will b-be there...”

He froze as she trailed off, leaving the statement open for him to interpret how he wanted. He withdrew his hand, hunching a bit to let his arms rest on his knees with eyes on the cobblestone. Amelie’s own widened at the sudden change in demeanor. He’d been so happy up until she brought the bonfire up. Her ears fell sadly as she scrambled for an apology.

“I-I’m sorry. W-We don’t have to. I-I mean, I’d love to go, b-but if you don’t want to I understand. I-I could just go m-mys---”

He looked at her, and it was enough to cut her off. “I’d...like to, and, I wish I could, but I just...can’t.”

“Oh…” she said, unable to keep the disappointment out of her voice, “I guess you still have to work. No one else can do the night contracts after all...”

“It’s not that,” he said. He hesitated briefly, before he took her hands in his own, gently rubbing her knuckles with his thumb. “It’s just, I…” He trailed off, remembering how she sought to hunt down and destroy creatures like him, or at least those like his beastly side. “It’s just…very complicated. I couldn’t even begin to explain it. I just...can’t be around at night.”

Her eyes fell and he moved a hand to her chin to lift it back up. He gave her a lopsided grin, trying to get her to smile again.

“Hey, come on now, don’t be like that,” he said, “I’ll stay around until sunset at least okay? I can promise that much.”

She studied his eyes for a moment before her lips lifted into a smile of her own. “Alright,” she agreed, “I’m going to hold you to that.”

“Of course,” he replied, “Now let’s go find some more of those festival foods to try, eh? I’m starving.”

She laughed. “Of course you are,” she teased, giving him a playful shove.

Of course, sometimes she didn’t know her own strength so she accidentally pushed him off the bench, but when he laughed about it she did the same. He was on his feet in a flash, once more offering her his arm. She once more took it, and together the Hunters rejoined the crowd to enjoy the festival for the rest of the time they had left.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgot to mention, but 2 chapters will be added each weekend, from now on at least.

He wished he could have stayed, wished he could have enjoyed that bonfire with her and swapped stories and just enjoyed her company a little longer. But the call of the night would never let him. Like clockwork, pain laced through his chest, and he had to depart Amelie’s company before she could start asking him what was wrong. He had a feeling she would come morning when he returned, but he had plenty of excuses he could use to dance around the question like he always did with others.

Dawn was approaching. The first flickers of pain laced through his chest as the beast trudged to the hiding spot of his belongings, grunting as he sat down to wait. As the pain grew stronger, his strong nose caught the scent of a terrible odor. He recognized the stench, having dealt with them on a few occasions.

Ogres.

Super dangerous, they were quite large and normally lived secluded in the mountains. While not as large as giants, their size and cunning still made them formidable opponents. They were known to wield mainly clubs, but were known to make use of other types of weapons occasionally.

There was something else as well, but he couldn’t quite place the stench when mixed with that of ogres. Familiar roars echoed through the air as well. Wyverns if he remembered right. The beast stood, trying to go investigate, but the moment he did, his breath caught in his throat as he felt like he got stabbed in the chest. He doubled over, unable to remain standing as the reverting transformation began. His bones creaked and groaned, grinding and snapping and remending as his form shrank. His organs rearranged as he clawed at the ground in agony, fur length receding and lightening back to its sapphire hue while his teeth and claws shrank in size.

When it was finally over, he fought through the delirium that always followed and forced himself to dress. By the time his heart returned to a safer pulse and his breathing steadied, his gear was back on. The Hunter raced up a tree to see where the ogres and wyverns were headed, and to his horror, they were headed straight for the city. There was no way they’d be ready, not with it being the morning after the festival. He needed to get there first to sound the alarm.

He climbed down the tree and was off like the crack of a whip, the loud boom left in his wake as he raced down the road. He didn’t see the horde on the main road, but ogres were almost as smart as people, and could just as easily choose to use the woods for a surprise attack. Syrus reached the gate within minutes, but by the time he did, it was too late.

The gates were slammed closed, trapping what looked like trolls inside, and a chimera. They yelled and shrieked to break through, but the iron bars held fast as the defenses activated and started roasting the creatures alive. The stone walls were in the process of being knocked in and climbed while the wyverns flew overhead.

The hedgehog backed up several steps before he took off with another loud crack of noise and raced directly up the wall. Along the way, he used the speed to slice clean through the arm of one of the ogres trying to scale the wall, and through the leg of a second in a bid to reach the parapets at the top before the horde on land could breach the city.

When he reached the top, they were already overrunning Anthem. The Hunter raced to a tower and found the horn to signal the alarm, currently unoccupied likely due to a shift change in progress. He sounded it and lit the signal fire by slamming his sword into the stone to create a spark into the fuel lining the brazier. It lit up in an instant. Several other horns began to sound off and warning braziers lit up one after another while the Wolf raced down the tower into the city itself.

Anthem was already suffering. Wyverns were attacking citizens, spewing their poison breath while chimeras set the wood buildings ablaze. Trolls chased people through the streets, and the ogres smashed their way through homes to get to city hall.

A fury he’d not known in years burned inside the Wolf. The beast, barely asleep, was already snapping at its leash in the prison of his daylight body. The call for blood was strong, and the need to take it out on these monsters was overpowering. He raced through the street, sewing destruction in his wake as other Hunters and guards came to his aid. When the hedgehog found himself trapped between two ogres, the crocodile with the buster sword he’d seen the previous day cleaved through one with a roar. The two exchanged a brief silent nod before the Wolf rapidly spun and sliced through the legs of the ogre behind him. The crocodile soared over his head, burying the sword deep in the down’s ogre’s skull.

“Go!” he shouted in a gruff voice, “Yur more useful ‘n freein’ ci’y hall! We go’ this!”

As he said that, the chameleon ninja appeared out of seemingly nowhere and took down a chimera before it could get his partner. Syrus saluted them before he raced down the street, jumping his way up to the rooftops to get a better shot at the wyverns. With a powerful leap he soared up onto the back of one, stabbing it from behind and slicing a large deep wound that spattered him in blood. As that one went down, he jumped onto the back of another that was gunning for him, deftly avoiding its poisoned breath as he lodged his sword into its neck, gravity helping him slice open a long gash in its throat. The smell of blood floored him into making them quick efficient kills, just to race to city hall and aid in its defense.

~~~

The screeches awoke her before the warning horn ever sounded. Amelie raced to her window, eyes wide in horror at what she saw happening outside. Within minutes she threw on her clothes, not even bothering to do up her long quills like she always did in a braid. Dommen Steg in one hand and a loaded crossbow in the other, she kicked the window out in time to bring the blunt head of the warhammer down on a troll passing beneath. The skull smashed into the ground a bloody mess, bits of brain matter scattering about the walls and cobblestone. More were coming for her, but the Rose anticipated it. She twirled around, firing several shots at the group before she turned her hammer to the spiked end and ran at them full force. She stowed the crossbow, using both hands to put more power behind her swings as she brutally tore through troll after troll.

“This is for ruining my sleep!” she screamed as she caught one in the face with the spike, yanked it around and threw it into another, laughing as she heard bones crack and break, “And that’s for attacking my city!”

Just to be sure they were dead, she changed to the hammer’s blunt head and smashed the skulls of the trolls for good measure, a refreshing vigor as the smell of blood and gore met her nose. Sadly she didn’t get to bask in it for long, when a pack of chimeras came for her. She quickly sheathed Dommen Steg and used her strength to hoist the dead body of one of the trolls over her head. With a battle cry, she hurled it at the pack with all her might then followed with the second body in a similar fashion. In the confusion, the Bloody Rose slipped down an alley too narrow for the beasts to follow. An ogre awaited her at the other end, but swiftly she drew her crossbow and shot it in the eye. It howled in pain as it reeled back, allowing the woman to slide between its legs to get behind it. She drew her hammer once more and slammed the flat head into the back of the monster’s leg as hard as she could, snapping it in twain and sending the ogre to the ground. She followed up by leaping onto its head when it fell, turning the hammer to the spiked top which she slammed into the other eye of the ogre, shoving it down as hard as she could until she punctured the brain. Blood spilled forth and she rejoiced in the exhilarating feeling, laughing heartily.

The shrill shriek of the wyverns snapped her back to the here and now. She saw a small flock of them heading for town hall, so with a dangerous smirk she jumped down and took off toward the square as fast as her legs would allow.

When she reached the square, much of the horde had gathered there. Other Hunters and guards were already there fighting and when she reached it, the woman found herself surrounded. She held her hammer close to her in defense, stance low as her eyes surveyed those around her. Trolls charged and chimeras unleashed their fiery breath on her. She leapt, avoiding the first troll while she brought her hammer around and knocked a second one flying right into a chimera. Another one’s first caught the end of her cloak on fire, which really brought out the Rose’s rage.

“This was my mother’s! HOW DARE YOU!” she screamed.

With a whoosh of the cloth she put the fire out. It was however burned on the ends, leaving her livid. Amelie lost control of her tempter completely, nearly forgetting about all the training she’d been putting herself through with the Wolf. She ran for the closest chimera hammer ready to fly, but she didn’t notice the troll coming to tackle her that was just beyond her peripheral. She was struck and knocked down, losing her grip on her hammer which slid away from her. She rolled sideways when an ogre’s club came down and nearly smashed her. The woman pulled her crossbow and shot at the large beast, but it used its club to block her shots where the bolts got stuck in the thick wood instead. Several chimeras roared, breathing fire at the girl while another unsheathed its claws and rushed her. Amelie flipped herself onto her feet, but the chimera took a swipe, nearly getting her with its claws. It caught the cloak’s end in its mouth, choking Amelie while the gouts of flame engulfed her. She screamed in pain, saved by her armor from being turned to a total crisp, but parts of her clothing were seared through to the skin, red and painful and beginning to dot with blood.

The chimera that had her cloak yanked hard, pulling the woman down onto her back while several trolls closed the circle ready to take the girl down.

Only they never did.

A sudden whirlwind kicked up out of thin air, sending the trolls flying. Something swift chopped through the beasts with precision and took out the lion’s head that still held the girl’s cloak. The mouth of the lion went slack and the body slumped over sideways, lifeless. The Wolf appeared by the Rose’s side as if from nowhere while at the same time the trolls he sliced up separated into multiple smaller bits where blood and gore rained down upon them and the surrounding beasts.

Her eyes flew to her savior, blood glistening in the morning sun on his body. Her breath caught in her throat at the sight and she could barely get a word out.

“Where---?!” she gasped, but he stopped her.

“No time,” he replied quickly, “Fight now, questions later.” He pulled her to her feet in one swift motion. “Get your hammer, I’ll keep them at bay.”


	10. Chapter 10

With a war cry that almost sounded like a wolf’s snarl, the blue hued warrior took off. His sword sliced deftly through the air, protecting the Rose in her desperate bid to regain her lost weapon. The crossbow could only do so much to keep the monsters at bay after all, so she was grateful for the back-up.

She dodged an ogre’s club before its owner found its arm detached by an unseen blade. By the time the woman grabbed her hammer and stood up, Syrus landed nearby and they stood back-to-back as the enemy closed in.

“Where did these things come from?!” she exclaimed as she bashed a troll that tried to attack.

“From the south,” the Wolf replied, pulling her down to avoid the horizontal swing of a club.

“Hordes like this don’t attack the city,” she said, “It’s too fortified.”

“And these creatures don’t normally work together. Trolls normally can’t stand chimeras.”

“It’s almost like something rallied them.”

“Oh? Such as?”

“The ogres?”

They paused the conversation briefly when gouts of flame came their way, but the two warriors danced around it expertly.

“Doubt it,” Syrus continued, “Ogres are cunning, but normally eat all these creatures. They wouldn’t rally them to their cause, whatever it is.”

“An outside source?” she suggested.

“Most likely, but impossible to say who or what.” With a dip the two of them dodged the swoop of a wyvern. “Say Amelie?” he began again, “You remember yesterday’s friendly fight?”

A soft blush colored her cheeks. “What of it?”

He smirked. “I think it went quite well,” he mused, “And since I was absent last night, may I have this dance to make up for it?”

A smile spread across her own face, dangerous and nearly as feral looking as his own face. “I would be delighted,” she replied, “We even have the fire, and song.”

And so began their deadly dance.

They worked in perfect sync, using one another’s moves to their benefit. He jumped onto her hammer, she threw him high with her strength. He came down and tore right through the wing of a diving wyvern causing it to crash. It started to spew its poisoned breath, he tied its mouth up with his own cape while she climbed onto its back. Together they used the cape like reins to steer the beast's mouth and instead direct it toward the other monsters. It worked just as well on trolls, ogres, and chimeras as it did on people, cuing the remainder of the monsters around them to start melting from the inside out before Amelie crushed its skull into paste.

They turned their sights toward town hall. Other Hunters and Huntresses were fighting tooth and nail to cull the horde and guards were fighting to get to the hall as well. The Wolf bowed to the Rose and in a flash he had her on his back. The weight of her hammer didn’t slow his speed when he really turned it on, and her strength allowed her to use Dommen Steg with one hand and smash through anything that blocked their way. He was able to get them to the building, but with the hall’s doors blocked they needed a different way in.

“How’s your climbing?” Syrus asked.

“Decent.”

“Good, scaling the outside is our only way up. Go, I’ll keep you safe.”

“I can take care of myself!”

He turned to her. “I know, but not when you need to keep your grip on a wall. Just trust me Amelie. You’ve trusted me so far, don’t stop now.”

She nodded. “You better follow.”

“Oh don’t worry, I will.”

He drew Himmelens Vrede and took out a troll that tried to throw a lance at the woman while she dug her hammer’s spiked end into the wall to help her climb. He was all but a blur as she scaled the wall using her hammer like a hand hold in a mountainside. It was slow going, but with Syrus keeping the enemies at bay her climb to the rooftop was assured.

By the time the Rose reached the top, the cobblestone below ran red with blood. She was winded, but her speedy partner was soon up by her side. At the top, they were met with an ogre wearing a headdress made from feathers and animal hide, and similarly decorated armor with a club carved with thick jagged spiked unlike the regular clubs his kin carried. The chief also wore a strangely ornate amulet around his neck.

With ogres, the strongest and the smartest was the one that took the rank of chief. This one had been in charge for a long time, and he knew how to speak fluently in the words of the people of Anthem.

“Where is it?!” the chieftain demanded in a deep booming voice, “The beast that attacked my master! We know it was here!”

Syrus’s grip on his sword tightened. They hadn’t been noticed yet so the Hunter silently beckoned Amelie to follow while the monster was distracted.

“Give it up Anthem!” he demanded, “And maybe we’ll leave some of your city intact!”

The Wolf gave the Rose a silent direction to get up behind the monster. Syrus would use himself as a distraction. With his speed, it would never touch him.

“How about we say no and just take you out?” he challenged, “Either way, you’ll be gone, and this just seems like a more permanent solution.”

The chieftain looked at Syrus and laughed. “You? What could you possibly do to me, whelp? You’re puny! And I am nothing like my brethren.”

The Wolf smirked. “Are you sure about that? A king of idiots is still an idiot.”

The ogre chieftain didn’t find the quip as humorous. “You try my patience, pathetic worm. Scurry back into the dirt where you and the rest of your kind belong.”

“I don’t think so,” he replied, “Amelie, now!”

The girl swung her hammer with all her might, spiked end facing out. She slammed it hard into the ogre’s calf, eliciting a roar of pain and anger. The chieftain turned, aiming to smash his spiked club down onto the girl as she ran, but Syrus raced in and pulled her out of the way before the beast could harm her. The ogre struck nothing but the stone.

“How dare you!” the chief bellowed, “No one makes me look the fool!”

Syrus let the girl down when they were out of the beast’s reach. They exchanged a look and a smile. He took off, running a whirlwind around the ogre chief. It was too weak to make the monster airborne, but Syrus became a blur that was impossible to see. None could see where he was, but several slashes started appearing on the chieftain’s body, clothes ripping in places and blood spilling out. Amelie drew her crossbow and loaded multiple bolts. Taking careful aim, she fired at the ogre’s head. The bolts were intended for the eyes, but she forgot to account for the wind and they instead caught the monster in the cheek and neck. He yelled out in anger. The bolts stayed in place, but the wounds started to trickle blood around the edges. Syrus slid back on the roof down beside Amelie, leaving the whirlwind to die down.

“Nice shot,” he commented.

“Nice trick,” she returned, “Didn’t know you could do that.”

“ENOUGH!” the chieftain roared, “You’re done mocking me!” The amulet around his neck suddenly started to glow. “Come to me! Take out these pests so we may take this city for the master! We’ll find that beast one way or another!”

The creatures that remained within the city all started heading for town hall. Syrus’s eyes widened.

“Amelie we need to get that amulet and destroy it!” he said, “It must control the other creatures!”

It made sense when creatures that were otherwise enemies were suddenly pulled together into an army with a coordinated attack, and why they were suddenly converging here after running rampant through the city.

“Got it!” she agreed.

There was no hesitation in her voice. She trusted the Wolf wholly and completely. She ran forward, dodging the club and using her crossbow to shoot at the hand that tried to swipe at her. Syrus used his speed to keep the other creatures at bay as best he could to give her the opening he anticipated her going for. It was exactly what he thought as the Rose vaulted herself into the air and brought the spiked end of her hammer full force down upon the ogre’s knee. The blow managed to shatter it, bringing the beast to bow. With a turn she did the same with the other knee, and Syrus used his blinding speed to cripple the arm holding the club, sending the ogre toppling sideways. The Wolf walked up to the downed monster and yanked the amulet off, throwing it to Amelie to go to town on.

“What...w-what are you?” the ogre asked, actual fear in his voice. His eyes widened as he looked into those feral green eyes. “Wait, I...I know what you are. You’re the...Y-You’re the--”

Syrus never gave the monster the chance to finish that sentence, because he cut the tongue right out. Amelie smashed the jewel inside the amulet, releasing a bright light across the city. Something happened with the creatures that were still left standing. They seemed confused at first, then they either started fighting one another or tried to run. The Hunters and guards made short work of them.

“Now why’d you do that?” she complained with a pout, “I wanted to do that…”

The Wolf smirked, glancing sideways at the woman. “What say we finish our dance then?” he asked, offering her a hand.

She took it. “With pleasure.”

He twirled her around and she brought her hammer down repeatedly into the ogre’s skull, and when he spun back, he sliced the neck open to make sure it was dead. As blood coated them ever more, the Wolf led an end to the dance with a dip at the end. Amelie stared up at him, at a loss for words as he pulled her back up against him. His eyes were so wild and alive, it made her heart race.

Her scent tickled his nose, that cherry-and-roses mingled with the scent of fresh blood reached something deep inside him. It awoke something carnal and made the beast react. He felt it snapping at its cage, trying to get out and claim its prize for such a fight. The feeling shook the Hunter to his very core.

They were close, oh so close. It wouldn’t take much to close that distance, to claim her mouth with his in a passion-fueled kiss. The urge was so strong to give into it that it almost hurt, and her face was almost begging him to do it.

But, he held back.

He couldn’t do it. As much as his body and mind urged him to do it, he still had some semblance of reason left. It took so much will power to reign everything in; it felt like his body was fighting against him as he let the Rose go, holding her an arm’s length before he withdrew. “Well then, good...good job,” he remarked, averting his gaze and running a hand through his quills, “We should...probably get cleaned up.”

“Yeah…” she agreed, struggling to hide the sadness in her voice.

She’d actually wanted it to happen, with all her being. Somewhere along the line, she’d started developing feelings for this man. She suspected he had done the same, but he kept her at a distance. She never thought she could love anyone again after losing her first lover, but Syrus awakened something primal in her that her first love had never been able to do. She couldn’t help but wonder why he held back, and by the gods did it hurt that he hadn’t claimed her lips in his. She considered doing it herself, but something told her it wouldn’t be a good idea.

Besides, did she have a right? She had sworn she wouldn’t rest until her vendetta was fulfilled, and now she found herself starting to fall for another man. Did that make her unfaithful after the years they’d had together versus her knowing the Wolf for only a few weeks? She hardly even knew him, nothing about where he was originally from, barely anything about his past or what he’d been through, didn’t even share the reason for her own personal vendetta. People were supposed to know each other for longer before they felt anything close to love for one another, right?

_‘Maybe...it’s for the best…’_ she thought, _‘I still have a promise to keep, and there’s no guarantee he’ll even stick around for much longer. He is a drifter after all, the ‘Lone Wolf’ for a reason, whatever it may be…’_

It still hurt, and she wasn’t the only one hurting as the pair headed back to the street below.

_‘I’m sorry Amelie…’_ he thought, _‘It’s better this way. If you ever found out what I really was, you’d never forgive me.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the ogre chief wasn't even the main one in charge. He spoke of some sort of 'master'. I wonder who it was that sent the horde. Any ideas?


	11. Chapter 11

“I’m telling you, that ogre was looking for something,” Amelie said, “It kept saying something about that beast. I bet it’s the one I saw before when the umbra dragon first attacked.”

With the training hall closed due to extensive damage during the siege on Anthem the previous day, the Wolf and the Rose were instead aiding in clean up and reconstruction. It wasn’t training persay, but it did distract the both of them from what had happened the previous day on the rooftop of city hall.

“It seems likely,” Syrus agreed, “But why would they be looking for that beast to begin with? It seems strange.”

Amelie shifted some heavy planks onto her shoulder while her partner grabbed the tools. “Maybe it has something to do with the umbra dragon. That’s the only thing I can think of that would match up.”

“I’m pretty sure umbras can’t be ‘masters’ of anything but the shades they can create. Smart as they are, I’ve yet to hear of one speaking in our tongue like the ogre chieftain did.”

“Well I’ve done some asking around, and have learned multiple reports of that dragon coming from the south, just like that horde did.”

“Well, that certainly changes things.” He fell into a thoughtful silence as Amelie put the boards down in a pile. Only when they started repairing a wall did he realize something and speak. “Do you remember that thing the chief was wearing, that amulet? It was using it to control those other beasts. A magical artifact like that is powerful, and anyone that dabbles in those artifacts is either a collector or dabbles in magic.”

“What, some collector is looking for a beast in Anthem?”

He shook his head. “No. I think it’s a magic user of some kind. Witch or wizard, it’s someone based down south.”

“You sound like you want to check it out,” the Rose observed.

“And you don’t? Something like this could lead you to the thing you’re looking for right? You are after all, still on that path of revenge, yes?” There was almost a challenging note in his voice, but he hid it well otherwise.

“I...of course I am,” she replied, hesitating just the slightest, “but you may be right. If we find out whoever is behind the attack, then it might lead me to my quarry.”

“Of course we’ll need to make a few preparations first; rations, health potions, a map, carriage fare, among some other things. We can always hunt if we need to, but it never hurts to be prepared.”

“We can always start after we’re finished here. I already have a map in my room at the inn, and between us we should have more than enough money for everything else.”

They had a plan, or the start of one at least. They’d figure things out as they went, but Anthem would be fine. There were more than enough Hunters and town guards to defend and rebuild. They just needed to figure out a destination.

~~~

By early afternoon, their preparations had been made. The trip would be quite long, and with all the extra gear Syrus wouldn’t be able to carry all of it plus Amelie, so he agreed to take a carriage. He was, after all, the one that had mentioned taking one. They paid the fare, and for now just told the driver they were going south and climbed in. Sitting beside one another, the hedgehogs used Amelie’s map to try and figure out where they might start.

“Here’s the next major town on the map,” she pointed out, “Lunis.” She looked at him. “Have you ever been?”

“Once or twice, years ago,” he replied, “Never stayed long. Something about the town always felt...off, to me.”

“Looks like any other town to me. I’ve never been, but it looks like it has some good natural defense, being nestled at the foot of the mountains and whatnot.”

“I still think something’s wrong with it, but it’s as good a place to start as anything else, and the closest town to the south of Anthem that’s hopefully still standing.”

With that settled, they gave the destination to the driver, but it was still going to be quite a long trip, and awhile still before the horses were pulled over for a rest. For awhile they were silent, watching the scenery or left to their own thoughts. Syrus looked at Amelie again at one point, a question nagging at his mind. He shifted to face her again.

“Amelie, there’s something I’ve been wondering, and since we’ll be on the cart for awhile, it seems like an appropriate time to ask.”

She looked at him, a strange feeling fluttering in her chest. “Yes? And what would that be?”

He looked to the floor of the cart, rubbing the back of his neck thinking how best to ask. “This...vendetta you have, you’ve mentioned before that it’s due to the loss of someone precious. I’ve been wondering, and if you don’t mind my asking, who was it?”

She looked away, hugging her frame. She knew this question would come up eventually, but she was never ready for it. She’d always avoided it, but now she really couldn’t. He’d been helping her so much though, didn’t she at least owe him the truth about it?

“It was...my fiance,” she said, ears falling sadly, “We were to be wed about five years ago, but...it didn’t turn out that way...The night before we were to wed, on the way to his home town where it would take place, we were attacked by what at the time I thought were wolves. Not just any wolves; they were smart, cunning. I wasn’t a Hunter quite yet, and wasn’t the best fighter. He tried to fight them but...there were just too many. I tried, but was badly wounded.” She absently traced a finger over the long scar that marred the left half of her face, tears brimming in her eyes. “If it weren’t for the guards and the Hunter we’d hired for a bodyguard, I would have been killed too…” Her hands balled into tight fists and it took all she had not to try and punch something to release the building rage. “But...they weren’t all killed. I vowed to hunt them down and kill them with my own hands. I’ve come so close so many times, but they always slip away…”

Syrus felt like he should comfort her somehow, but he wasn’t sure he could. “And...your scar then…?”

“Happened that night, nearly lost the vision in my eye. Don’t know how I managed to keep my sight, but I did.”

He thought about embracing her for comfort, but instead placed an understanding hand on her shoulder. “It hurts all the time doesn’t it? Knowing they’re gone and you couldn’t do anything to save them. I told you before what happened to my parents; I know what you feel. You can’t let this consume you; someday, you’ll have to let it go.”

Her eyes turned to the blue Hunter. “I appreciate your concern,” she replied, resting a hand up over his, “but I’ve told you I'm committed to this path, wherever it takes me, even to the grave.”

His brow furrowed. “But why? He won’t be brought back even if you get your revenge, if you ever even find these beasts to begin with. And with your strength there’s so much good you can still do for the world. Why throw it all away on a premature death?”

Amelie brushed her bangs aside. “You’re one to talk,” she said with a frown, “With all the scars you have, once might think you were looking for death. I’ve seen how precise you can be, how easily you can avoid attacks, yet you’ve more scars than any man I’ve met before.”

He let her shoulder go and turned away, gaze falling. She was more perceptive than he gave her credit for. She was right after all, he was looking for death, but no matter what it never came. He was all that remained of his family line, and knew the only way to end the curse was to die with it, and not pass it on.

Amelie gasped. “You are, aren’t you?” she asked, her eyes narrowing sadly, “but why? You bring as much good to the world, if not more than I. No one else takes on those dangerous nocturnal bounties, and I’ve seen you give away most of your reward money just to help people in need, like that tavern you love so much, and that family you gave the money to to help fix their home, and the little homeless children you gave money to for food and warm clothing.”

He shook his head. “I...have nothing to return to, nothing to lose, nothing to look forward to. I’m a drifter that doesn’t have a future.” He looked at one of his arms, tracing a gloved finger over some of his own scars. 

“If...I-If you want death so badly, then…” She paused, not sure how to word it right. Maybe there really was no right way. “Why continue to fight?”

“I don’t know…” he answered honestly. He leaned back, resting his arms behind his head and looking up at the partially clouded sky. “Something in me...something inside me demands I survive. Every time I think my death is nigh, something forces me back from the brink and instead of meeting Death I fight to remain alive.” He glanced sideways at her. “I can’t explain it better than that. I don’t know what the drive is when it conflicts so greatly with this one thing I desire so much.”

She didn’t know why, but she shifted closer to him on the seat, wrapping her arms around him. He froze briefly, looking down at her.

“For the record, I like that you’re around,” Amelie said, “You’re a great teacher.”

A light blush dusted Syrus’s cheeks, but he managed to smile. He allowed his arm to come to rest around her, finding he liked the sensation. He supposed he could allow himself to enjoy it, just this once.

“You’re too kind,” he said, “And you’re a great student, when you listen of course.”

He chuckled at the quip, though grunted when she punched him. It was light, but from her he still felt the impact. The smile never left his face, but he refrained from saying anything else for the time being.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Calmer chapter, and we get a little insight into Amelie's (Amy's) past. It's still a long trip to Lunis though. What do you think will happen next? And when they get there, will they find who they're looking for?


	12. Chapter 12

He ended up falling asleep sometime during the ride. It wasn’t until sunset’s pain woke him up that he realized what time it was. He doubled over, jolting Amelie awake and leading to her frantically asking what was wrong. He waved her off and merely told her he had something important to take care of and he’d be back come dawn, apologizing he was leaving so abruptly. She tried to stop him as the carriage pulled over for the night, but he was far too quick and her fingers enclosed nothing but open air. He made it enough of a distance before he could hardly stand, removing his clothes and sword so nothing would rip with the growth of his body. Once the nightly transformation completed, he dug out the ground near the roots of a tree until it was large enough to stash his things inside.

Unsure of exactly what to do next even though he felt the blooms of hunger forming in his stomach, the beast found himself heading back toward the camp. He stopped quite short, wondering to himself why he thought this was a good idea. He should be avoiding Amelie at all costs, lest she seek him out and try to kill him. That, and he didn’t need to create another awkward situation for himself while seeing her silhouette completely undress in her tent. Those memories still burned in his dreams and he dared not speak of it to her when he actually could talk to her. Just the thoughts alone were enough to set his cheeks aflame.

So he turned the other way, deciding instead to hunt himself something small, just enough to sate himself until the dawn came, then he could join Amelie in a more proper breakfast as they and their driver started along the path to Lunis again.

Things really had a habit of not working in his favor lately.

Before he could get very far, the stench of something he didn’t recognize entered his nose. He froze, his lupine ears perked and swiveling to the environment as his eyes also searched for the danger. His fur bristled and he moved carefully, but even he wasn’t prepared for the beast that swooped out of the tree from high above and tackled him to the ground. It let out a terrible sound akin to some amalgam of an owl’s screech and a bear’s roar, distorted and disconcerting as a second came out of the darkness. 

With a growl, the beast got his clawed feet beneath the creature pinning him down, digging them in as he used his nightly strength to throw it off. It landed on all fours with a soft thud while Syrus quickly rolled himself onto his back. Both beasts encircled him, prowling a perimeter he’d have a hard time escaping.

_ “Ah, my pets have found you I see,”  _ a feminine voice spoke in his mind.

The beast growled, holding his head in his hands as he thought a very dark oath.

_ “Ah, ah, ah,”  _ the voice scolded, almost mockingly,  _ “I know what you are boy, and I know what you did to my pets. I don’t take kindly to those that destroy what belongs to me. I think I’ll make you mine as repayment.” _

A terrible pain laced through Syrus’s mind. He clutched his head, a loud roar escaping him. He clawed at the ground, resisting whatever terrible magic ws being used on him. It went on for several tense minutes while the strange beasts continued to circle him.

_ “Bah, I should have known. Your will is too strong for me to do this remotely.”  _ A wicked laugh echoed in his mind.  _ “No matter. I know where you are, and where you are headed. Instead, I think I’ll just take that pretty little flower of yours away, then maybe I’ll consider it repayment for you taking away my pets.” _

The laughter faded as did the pain. The strange beasts left him, but he realized quickly that they were headed for the camp and so gave chase. As fast as he was on all fours, these beasts were proving faster, and they reached the camp’s edge before he did. The horses whinnied in fright, waking both the driver and Amelie as Syrus finally caught up. He tackled one to the ground, and a vicious fight of teeth and claws erupted. The second one went for the tent in which the girl slept, unaware she was already awake and had Dommen Steg in hand. As soon as it ripped into the tent, the girl smashed the face of the beast with all her might, sending it flying several feet back until it hit the trunk of a tree.

“Owlbears!” the driver cried, “Hurry girl, get yer things and let’s go! We can’t stay here!”

“But I can fight them!” she insisted.

“Not in the dark! I have a lantern to light the way but it won’t matter if we die!”

The beast she flung into a tree was already getting back up. Syrus heard its claws scraping across the ground even in his fight with the first one. He tapped into his own strength, hooking his claws into the owlbear’s hide and throwing it hard into the second one to keep it from getting to the girl.

“I won’t go! Syrus is missing and he won’t find us if we leave!”

“The Wolf will be fine!” the driver argued, trying to calm his horses in all the commotion while also hooking them up, “Everyone knows he’s fast, he’ll find us! Now get yer stuff and get in!”

Amelie finally relented and ran to her destroyed tent, grabbing the rest of her things. She started to run for the carriage when the wolf-like beast flew past her with an owl bear after it. She froze, torn between going after the large wolf or listening to the driver.

“Come ON girl, move it! If yea don’t I’ll leave yea here! I ain’t becomin’ chow for these monsters!”

It was enough to floor her. She tossed her things in the back and scrambled onto the carriage. With a throw of the reins the horses were in motion, galloping down the main road back on track toward Lunis. 

That didn’t stop the owlbears however. They were in hot pursuit, nearly as fast as the horses and just as tenacious. Syrus had no choice but to give chase. He dug into the earth, using his power to take off at the fullest speed he could muster. He caught up to the beasts when they were a hair's breadth from the carriage, tackling one into the other and knocking them off-course to give the carriage a chance to get plenty of distance between it and the monsters. 

The owlbears snarled at him and began circling them again. Whomever their master was had decided they needed to get rid of the boy now. She was pissed, and he was going to pay for it dearly. The owlbeasts lunged, but he was smarter. He used their own momentum against them as he leapt out of the way, causing them to collide in a tangle of limbs. He pounced after, a fury he’d not known in a long time burning in his ember-like eyes. He tore the two beasts apart, and the predator in him couldn’t stop from claiming its fill of the prize kill it had made. He tore into the flesh with those dagger-like fangs, looking more like a monster than he normally would have ever liked to. To say it was a good thing that Amelie hadn’t lingered longer was an understatement.

When he had his fill, the beast regained his senses, realizing that he needed to go get his things and hurry after them. They could be quite far up the road by now and he needed to catch up enough to have any hope of finding them.

That was exactly what he did. Though injured from bite wounds and claw marks, most of it was superficial and very little of it actually bled on his thick hide. He collected his gear and held it all securely against his chest before he took off after the carriage. He’d probably catch up by morning, and that would leave him plenty of time to deal with sunrise and getting dressed again.

He was left quite unnerved however as he raced through the night. Someone had tried to take control of him. Whoever it was knew about him being in Anthem as a beast one night, likely during the night of the umbra’s attack. And they knew what he was, probably something the ogre had seen. Was it the eyes? They never really changed during the transformation, the color just glowed more than anything. He’d have to be a bit more careful; the last thing he needed was Amelie learning the truth about him.

~~~

A slender hand slammed down on a rather ornate table, a sneer of hate on the owner’s face.

“Useless beasts!” she screamed. A dark-scaled dragon sleeping nearby lifted its head and looked at its master with incredulous eyes. Her face turned sweet and she levitated to the leviathan beast and lovingly rubbed its snout. “Oh not you my precious baby. You’ll never be useless to me. I’ll make sure those Hunters pay for hurting you, especially the boy.” 

She giggled disconcertingly, returning to the table where her crystal ball sat. She settled down in the ornate cushioned chair, pulling the magical orb closer with an unseen hand. 

“Oh it’s just so delightful,” she crooned, licking her lips, “That curse on him is so ancient, but it still continues to plague the boy’s bloodline. No wonder he wants to die.” She waved a hand, bringing up an image of the werebeast on the run, a dark giggle leaving her crimson lips. “I know you’re coming for me boy. Run, run as fast as you can. Ursula’s waiting and ready to play. I’ll break you and make you mine, then you’ll be forced to watch, as I make you kill your flower with your own two hands.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out they were right after all; some sort of magic was involved. And remember the horde from before, and the Umbra dragon, which both attacked Anthem on separate occasions? That's their master, or mistress, at the end. How will Ursula carry out her plan, and how does she know Sonic and what he is? There's a deeper connection there, one you'll have to stay tuned for to find out!


	13. Chapter 13

It was at least another full day before they even reached the gates of Lunis. Amelie was understandably upset when he showed up, angrily telling him what had happened at the camp when he wasn’t there. He managed to calm her down during the day, but when he disappeared that second night she was understandably once more peeved when he showed back up the second day. 

They reached the gates around noon where a pair of guards greeted the carriage driver and allowed them passage. They were friendly enough, but Syrus couldn’t help a sense of unease come over him as they passed through the gates. He hadn’t been in years, but the town was still relatively the same. He and Amelie disembarked and walked down the bustling street conversing about the best place to look for clues. They found themselves at a great fountain with the statue of a woman proudly displayed atop it. A plaque sat in front of the pair, which Amelie bent down to read.

“‘Dedicated to our savior, Ursula Belle, whose leadership and guidance has made Lunis safer than it’s ever been. Without her, we would be lost.’” She looked to Syrus to see if he knew anything about it.

The blue hedgehog shrugged. “I don’t remember the statue, but like I said, I haven’t been here in years. Guess they got themselves a new mayor or whatever they call their leader here.” He made a gesture with his hand. “Come, let’s go find an inn or tavern. We’re more likely to find the information we seek at one of those.”

The pink-hued woman nodded and followed. “So how are we to even begin looking?” she asked, keeping her voice low, “If...If there really is a witch or someone similar involved, who knows how powerful they are…”

“We’ll need to be careful how we approach this…” he added, “Something is wrong with this town. I can’t put my finger on what, but there is, and all it could take is one wrong word to get us trapped in whatever machinations our possible witch culprit might have...”

~~~

The two found an inn they could rent rooms at for the night. Syrus wouldn’t be using his room at all, but it did have an attached tavern. The Hunter and the Huntress entered together, taking seats up at the bar counter itself. Hushed whispers spoke around them, likely the usual stories that circulated through the air. Even if most people didn’t visit other towns, stories went with the carriage drivers and traveling merchants, among other such travelers on the road. The pair of them ordered drinks, keeping their heads somewhat low and listening to the conversations around them. Sadly nothing helpful to their quest had come up yet as the barkeep brought them their drinks.

“It’s unusual t’ see a Hunter ‘nd Huntress o’ your caliber in ‘ere,” he commented, wiping a glass clean and moving to the next, “What may I ask brings you t’ me ‘umble establishment?”

The blue hedgehog looked up. “A hunt of course,” he said with a small smirk, “A bounty was issued in Anthem up north two days ago following an attack from a horde of monsters that wouldn’t normally work together. The council believes it may link to a dragon attack that took place a few days prior to the horde ambush, and think it could be a magic user may be behind it. Both attacks came from the south, and so they believe whomever is behind it may be somewhere in this general direction.” It wasn’t much to go on, but it was all they had.

“Can’t say we got many o’ them ‘round these parts,” the barkeep said with a shrug, “Y’may be outta luck here, ‘lessin’ y’ talk t’ the mayor. O’ course, she’s real reclusive. Doubt y’gonna get anywhere wi’ that.”

Amelie sipped her drink thoughtfully. She wasn’t a big fan of alcohol like Syrus seemed to be, but she’d drink it on occasion. She listened to the two have a back and forth for several minutes, but nothing seemed to come of it. The bar owner was starting to get irritated since her had other patrons to attend to, so the Rose decided to hurry it along. She leaned forward onto her forearms, purposely hugging her breasts together as she did, and fluttered her long eyelashes. 

“Excuse me sir,” she interrupted, offering him her sweetest smile. Her mannerisms got the barkeep’s attention right away. Men were just too easy. “Is there any possible way we could speak with the mayor? It’s very important.”

The man pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed his brow, which was starting to sweat a little, before readjusting the bow tie around his neck. “Well, li’l miss, I can’t say fo’ sure, but…” He leaned forward, closer to her, until they were just inches apart. “Buuut, if’n yer go ‘nd talk t’ the assistant a’ t’e fron’ desk, I’m sure they’ll point yea in t’e righ’ d’rection.”

“Oh? And where is town hall?” she asked, fluttering her lashes again, “We’ve only just arrived, so we’re quite lost...”

The man chuckled. “Jes’ head out ‘nd go righ’ down t’e road. Big build’n wit’ a fout’n ou’side.”

Amelie giggled, winking at the man and touching his nose with one finger. She gently pushed him back, blowing him a kiss. He was surprised by the girl’s sudden strength, but did nothing to fight it.

Syrus on the other end fought every fiber of his being not to leap over the counter and start strangling the perverted old man. He could tell the dark disgusting thoughts the barkeep had behind those spectacles, but that wasn’t what really set him off. It was how easily she flirted with the man, and he knew it was just to get things moving, but something deep inside felt possessive of the Rose. He had no right to feel such feelings, but the predator deep inside him wanted what it felt belonged to it. He had no right to think that either, and it was a relief when Amelie pulled him out of there. 

“What was that for?” he asked when they were out of earshot of the tavern.

She shrugged. “You were taking too long, so I sped things up.”

His hands balled into fists and he was nearly shaking from the tenseness building up inside him. “That old man is going to think you want him now. He's going to come try and find you.”

Amelie looked at him incredulously. “Please, even if he does I’d send him halfway to Anthem before he could touch me.”

“That’s not the point!”

She stopped dead and turned to him, blocking his path forward. “Why do you care?” she demanded, “I can take care of myself just fine. I don’t need your protection all the time.”

“You still shouldn’t have done that!”

“It got results! Again, why do you care? You’re not my father! You’ve no right to tell me who I can or can’t flirt with!”

“Yeah well, maybe I do care!” he argued, “Maybe I don’t want to see you get taken advantage of by a creepy old man with disgusting thoughts!”

Both of them stopped. Her eyes were wide and so were his. Syrus was the first to break contact and instead look at the ground, folding his arms over his chest.

“Oh, it bothers you like that doesn’t it?” she asked, “It bothers you a lot.”

He shuffled uncomfortably. “I...I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’re jealous aren’t you?” she continued, “If you’re so jealous then why don’t you ki--”

He grabbed her arm and pulled her along before she could finish. They had a new lead they could try and it was better than nothing. 

“Hey, what are you doing?! Release me!” she demanded.

He wasn’t holding her that tight, and it was easy enough for Amelie to yank her arm right out of his grip. Syrus turned to her as she put her hands on her hips indignantly. 

“We have a new lead. We should look into it. Come,” he replied quickly, motioning for her to follow.

Amelie huffed softly, but otherwise she agreed and trailed after the blue hedgehog. He was right after all, they needed to look into this before their enemy struck again. Anthem couldn’t take much more damage to it before it fell, in the state it was currently in, and such an important hub couldn’t be lost. She could confront Syrus later. Right now, they had a job to do.

The pair reached town hall without an issue. It was a building they’d passed already, after stopping briefly to look at the statue on top of the fountain earlier. They entered without an issue, passing people milling about their jobs and a few other Hunters getting some jobs. They went to the front desk, where the mayor’s assistant sat filing some papers. Hearing the echoing footsteps of people approaching her desk, the woman looked up.

“Hel-lo!” she greeted in an overly perky manner, “How can I help you today?”

Amelie nodded in greeting. “Hello ma’am,” she replied, “We were wondering, would it be possible for us to see the mayor?”

The assistant inhaled a little overdramatically. “I’m sooo sorry, but our mayor isn’t taking any visitors right now. She’s far too preoccupied with a pressing issue right now.”

“What would that be?” the pink hedgehog asked curiously, “Lunis seems like such a peaceful place compared to a lot of others.”

“Aww, why thank you!” the assistant exclaimed, interlocking her hands and tilting her head sideways to rest against them, “We try our hardest!” She shook her head after and shrugged. “But, we have a bit of a werebeast problem that we need to solve before tonight.”

Syrus’s ears perked forward in alarm, but Amelie was the one to speak. “Werebeasts you say?” she repeated, clearly interested.

“Why yeees!” the assistant answered, “The mayor is confident we’ve located where they are hiding during the day, but alas, we’ve been unable to find anyone willing to go after them…” She sighed loudly.

Amelie’s eyes were practically glittering. What a coincidence! Maybe the beast she was hunting was there, and better yet they could take out the whole pack of skinchangers before night turned them into something more powerful. With her strength and Syrus’s speed, there was no way they could lose.

“We could take it!” she offered.

“Excuse me?” Syrus asked, but he was ignored.

The assistant’s eyes widened. “Really? Oh that would be just splendid!” she exclaimed, “No need to show me your credentials! EVERY-one in town knows who you two are! Your feats are next to legendary!”   
  
Amelie blushed while the assistant pulled out a map. “Here’s where you’ll need to go,” she instructed, pointing to an X on the map, “It’s about a two-hour hike up the mountain. A trail right here will lake you part of the way up, but after that you’ll have to find your own way.” She handed the map off to Amelie. “Good luck! If you manage to complete the job, we’ll have a handsome reward waiting for you!”   
  


“Thank you!” Amelie replied with a bow, “Come on Syrus! We’ve got a hunt to take on, during the day no less! Those skinchangers will never know what hit them!”

“Amelie wait!” he called, but she was already racing out the door, so he took off after her, “Shouldn’t we think this over first?!” 

The assistant waved until they left before an evil smile curled on her lips. She dipped her head, a dangerous look in her eyes.

“Oh ‘they’ sure won’t, little flower,” she whispered to herself, “and neither will you.” 

She snapped her fingers and suddenly disappeared in a plume of magic smoke. The assistant reappeared seated at a table in front of a crystal ball with her appearance completely altered, revealing the very visage of the woman that adorned the statue atop the fountain. She waved a magic aura over the orb, bringing up an image of Syrus trying to talk sense into his lady friend but failing. All he could do is go along with it.

“An eye for an eye after all. Your life should cover his debt, and your death will break him to the point he’ll never be able to break free of my spell again.” Ursula licked her lips as the snout of her dragon snaked up beside the chair, which she stroked lovingly. “It’ll be all the more delicious when he does it by his own hand, won’t it my pet?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sonic, your jealousy is showing! And what's this? A chance for Amelie (aka Amy) to finally find her revenge after all these years? It's too good to be true though. We all know Ursula wants Syrus (Sonic) and his beast form under her control, but it's the middle of the the day. How is she going to carry out her plan when the beast won't wake until the night? Stay tuned to find out what happens next!


	14. Chapter 14

“Amelie, wait!” Syrus insisted. He ran ahead of her, blocking her path just before she reached the city gates. “Doesn’t this seem a little TOO convenient? You’re looking for these...things, and a job for them just so HAPPENS to fall into your lap?” 

She frowned. “Why do you have to assume the worst?” she asked, resting her hands on her hips in annoyance.

“I told you, something is wrong with this town,” he replied, “Shouldn’t we investigate some more before we go assuming that this will really lead us anywhere?”

“And what, so you can leave me alone in an unfamiliar city at night? Who’s to say I wouldn’t just do it then?” she demanded, “And if you’re not there, then I’ll just have to be sure not to get ripped apart by the werebeasts, unless I just get bitten and become like them instead.”

“That’s not-”

“Save it. I’m going whether you want to come or not. Fast as you are, you can’t stop me.” 

She brushed past him, heading out the gate alone. Syrus slapped a hand to his forehead, dragging it down his face. Why did this woman have to be so stubborn? He had to bet part of it was because she was still sore at him for the sudden disappearances the last couple of nights. Against his better judgement, he followed after her. She was going to be the death of him, and not the sort of death he was looking for. He couldn’t just let her go alone though; if there really was something lurking in the mountain, he didn’t want to leave her alone to deal with it. Strong as she was, she didn’t always do well against multiple enemies on her own, especially when her temper got the best of her.

~~~

It was the middle of the afternoon by the time they reached the summit. The sun hung high in the sky, illuminating a clearing surrounded by trees overlooking the mountainside. The two Hunters kept their weapons at the ready, senses on high alert as they searched for signs of any werebeasts.

Only there were none. 

One would expect to find tracks, leftover remains of prior kills, shedded fur, or other signs of marked territory. There didn’t seem to be anything of the sort however. Aside from tracks from a deer or a rabbit scurrying into a burrow, there weren’t even any signs of caves large enough to accommodate a creature that would be of a rather large size. 

“I-I don’t understand…” Amelie said, “Shouldn’t we have seen something by now?”

“I told you it was too coincidental,” Syrus replied, “We need to go back.”

“Oh, I don’t think you two will be going anywhere my pets,” a feminine voice echoed throughout the clearing.

A wind kicked up, rustling the leaves as it converged on a swirling vortex. When it fell, a woman in a deep purple robe stood, or rather, floated. Her fur was a shining black under the sun, with long hair tied back in a ponytail and a hat obscured all but a pair of glowing green eyes.

“A witch,” Syrus quietly growled, backing up with his sword drawn, “Amelie, get out of here, get help. We can’t deal with her on our own.”

“What? No!” she hissed, “I’m staying. You’re not fighting her alone!”

“Go!” he insisted, pushing her away, “I can keep away. I’m trying to die anyway, remember?”

The pink hedgehog growled, her grip tightening around her hammer’s handle. He was serious though, and she needed to go.

“Ah, ah, ah,” the witch said in an amused tone as the Huntress turned and started to run, “I don’t think so.”

With a snap of her fingers, green flames erupted around the area. They didn’t burn the trees, but they did reach high, preventing escape. Unfortunately Amelie ran right into them, screaming in pain before she tumbled backwards into the grass.

“No!” Syrus exclaimed before his feral gaze turned upon the witch, “You’ll pay for that witch!” He took off, sword drawn.

“Please boy, you’ll only embarrass yourself,” she smirked.

She lifted her hand, a dark aura visible around it. As soon as Syrus leapt for an attack, she closed her fingers into a fist. That same aura surrounded him, stopping the hedgehog midair. The witch licked her lips, turning her hand over and snapping her fingers. Bolts of dark energy struck the imprisoned hedgehog as she lowered the orb to the ground. Within, he sunk to his knees, sword dropped uselessly at his side.

Amelie turned over and opened her eyes in time to see the sapphire-hued Hunter get shocked and drop to his knees within his prison.

“Leave him alone!” she screamed. She tried to get to her feet, to draw her hammer or her crossbow, but her body refused to move further. She looked down, eyes widening to see magical chains binding her to the ground.

“Aw, now why would I let you spoil the fun little flower?” the witch asked, giggling almost childishly, “You and little Syrus are the ones I want.” She chuckled, a hand over her mouth. “Well, it’s him I want really. You’re just a means to an end.”

Syrus held his stomach, emerald eyes raising to look at the witch beyond his prison. “Who..who are you…?” he demanded, though he found himself struggling to find his voice, “What...what do you want with me...?”

“Ah little boy, it’s what’s inside you that I want, but it’s so kind of you to ask,” she replied, and with an over dramatic flourish she bowed, “I am Ursula Belle, better known as Ursula the Dark or Ursula of the Black Night.”

Amelie tried to struggle against her magical binds while the witch introduced herself, but her limbs felt weak and useless. “W-What are you talking about?!” she demanded, “‘What’s inside him…’?”

Ursula gasped dramatically in fake shock. “You mean, he hasn’t told you? Why, my dear, I would have thought you’d know by now, or would have figured it out.” She cackled. “Don’t you ever wonder WHY your precious little ‘Lone Wolf’ is never around at night?”

Amelie gulped, suddenly feeling very afraid for the first time in a long while. “What...w-what are you saying?”

“Why, my dear, don’t you get it? He’s a werebeast!”

“You’re...y-you’re lying!” Amelie cried, tears brimming in her eyes.

“Oh?” Ursula replied, cackling even more, “Well then, why don’t I just show you instead!”

Her hand made a fist again and the dark aura surrounding it intensified. Syrus’s eyes widened before dark bolts struck his body again. Only this time, his body began to mutate.

“No! No!” he screamed through the pain his own body wrought upon him from the inside, “How?!” His beast side only came out at night; it was the middle of the day! The sun was high above their heads!

“Oh dear boy,” she started, shaking her head, “You can be quite dense. I am ancient. You don’t think I wouldn’t be capable of something as trivial as tricking your other half into thinking it was night?” She made a motion with the fingers of her other hand, the magical bindings forcibly dragging Amelie closer. “You should have a front row seat little flower, see what exactly he’s been hiding from you all this time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Turns out it was a trap! And Ursula has shown up in the flesh! Things are getting intense. Stay tuned to see what happens next!


	15. Chapter 15

Within the prison of dark energy, the bolts continued to strike the incapacitated hedgehog. He hugged his torso with both hands, doubling over like he was about to be sick. He could feel the heat in his body rising, threatening to boil him alive. He could feel the beast snapping at its cage, demanding release as a perceived night came. He tried so hard to resist, to hold back, to keep Amelie from seeing the truth, but he should have known better: you can’t restrain a wild beast in a failing cage.

He threw his head back and screamed when his fur started to grow out, darkening almost the color of night’s shadows. It spread over his body, the fingers of one hand digging into the dirt. Bones audibly snapped and muscle and sinew tore, mending and rearranging themselves as his frame grew larger. His clothing struggled to hold onto his growing form. Seams started to pop and it wasn’t long before his gloves tore apart when his hands became too large for them to contain. His boots met a similar fate, growing too small for his feet as clawed toes ripped through the ends. 

Amelie watched in abject horror as the beast emerged before her. Clawed hands dug deep into the ground within the prison, and within a silent snarl teeth grew into long and vicious fangs. In the end, he raised his head and let loose a haunting howl before collapsing sideways gasping for breath.

Ursula laughed at the display, and using her magic to condense the dark orb imprisoning the beast it shrank around him and melded to his shape. He cried out in agony, his body writhing as he tried in vain to fight it. In the end however, he passed out from the strain of it all.

The witch licked her lips, basking in the absolute terror the Huntress was now experiencing. “Oh it’s so delicious,” she crooned, levitating over to the still beast, “Here he is trying to hide this feral side of his, all to protect you, and the world, and himself, and how ironic it is that he becomes the very thing you despise most.”

“W-What...what did you do to him?!” Amelie demanded, tears streaming down her cheeks.  


“I?” the witch replied, feigning surprise before a wicked grin replaced it, “Why, I did nothing! He has always been like this! The curse runs in his bloodline! It’s so ancient, but it still plagues his family and I absolutely love it!”

“Y-You’re lying!” the Huntress cried, “Th-There’s no way!”

“Oh, but there is,” the witch mused, “You see, I am quite ancient myself, so much so that many many generations ago his family used to work for me personally, or, at least I thought they did.” She sighed. “It was such a shame. They thought they could be the ‘heroes’ and take me down, stealing something of mine believing they could get away with it. They were such loyal workers too, or so I’d thought.” She giggled after. “Oh, but that’s all in the past now! I got my revenge on them long ago, and as a bonus cursed every single generation they bore after! Oh it was just a delicious vengeance, and their beastly halves allowed me to find them and take control of them if I ever felt the need at night.”

Amelie was at a loss for words, her eyes only able to watch the beast that lay unmoving before her.

“I thought I was done with them, but they seem to have forgotten their place. After that beast hurt my poor little umbra dragon, I had to send retribution. Sure it wasn’t just him, but the beast started it. I thought my horde of monsters would be enough, but he proved more resourceful than I thought. Imagine my surprise upon finding out our dear little Syrus was the beast that hurt my baby. I sent my owlbears after him at night because I thought they would be able to handle him, but I underestimated the lengths he would go to in order to protect you, and underestimated his ferocity, and couldn’t claim him as my own. Oh but it was so wonderful to learn the two of you were headed for Lunis, and to think you two walked so willingly into my trap after my ‘assistant’ told you about Lunis’s little ‘werebeast problem’.”

Amelie’s gaze snapped to the witch. “The...The assistant, that…th-that was you…?” 

She gasped dramatically, as if realizing something. “Oh she finally gets it!” Her grin widened menacingly. “Oh, and to think he wants to die! You could help him, right her and now!”

“I-I...I-I won’t!”

“Oh, but my dear, you don’t have a choice, if you want to live.”

With a snap of her fingers, the werebeast’s body suddenly convulsed. He turned over, pushing himself to all fours. His eyes opened, but instead of the eyes Amelie always knew, they were cold, and blank, like he didn’t know who she was, that he was being controlled. Ursula waved her hand again, releasing the Huntress from her magical bonds and allowing her to stand. Syrus growled like a wild animal, circling around Amelie as the pink Rose stood. 

“Better get your weapons, little flower,” Ursula cooed, “He’s stronger than you when he’s in this form, and he has claws along with a nasty bite.” She looked to the beast. “Get her.”

And with that she vanished, leaving the fire barrier to trap them while the beast lunged for the Huntress. Amelie gasped, rolling out of the way. She scrambled to her feet, running to where she’d dropped her weapons. The beast caught her by the end of her cloak, causing Amelie to scream. She fought against him, but he really was stronger. She reached up and undid the cloak from her form, gasping when it let go and stumbling forward from the momentum. Still, she regained her balance, making a desperate bid for her weapons. The beast raced after her and she dove out of the way of his swiping claws. She grabbed the crossbow and loaded it, skidding to a stop on one knee and taking aim.

But...she couldn’t bring herself to pull the trigger at him.

Instead, she aimed at the ground to keep the beast at bay just long enough to grab her hammer. He came for her again, and she found she couldn’t make herself take a swing either. Tears streamed down her face as all she could do was block the attacks of the hulking monster and pray her hammer held strong.

“Syrus, please!” she begged, “D-Don’t do this!”

She sidestepped a swipe, nearly losing her balance as she ducked a swing from his other arm. Amelie swung the flat head of her hammer at him, but didn’t put her strength behind it. He stopped it with ease before he sent the woman flying across the clearing. Her back slammed into a boulder and she gagged as the air was knocked from her lungs and she slid to the ground. 

“S-Syrus...p-please…” she coughed, trying to get to her feet as he stalked toward her, “Y-You’re a...g-good person…D-Don’t let that...w-witch control you…”

An aggressive snarl came from the beast as the girl managed to stand. She still gasped for breath, but she was on her feet. He lunged for her, and in her terror she used Dommen Steg against him at full power. He didn’t go as far as she’d been thrown, but he landed with an unceremonious thud and she ran to put distance between them.

Tears were now streaming like waterfalls down her face. “P-Please, d-don’t make me do this!” she cried to the beast as he started toward her again, “Y-You’re a Hunter, remember? We b-beat things like this, l-like the ogres, a-and the wyverns!”

Something made him stop short, his movements stiff like his body was fighting against itself. Blank eyes stared the Rose down, a silent snarl on the werebeast’s face.

Hope started to brim in her eyes. “Th-That’s right! Remember the h-horde fight? Y-You and I were able to have that dance we missed at the b-bonfire, a-and at the ravine, y-you saved my life!”

The beast grabbed his head, a roar leaving him that shook the trees nearby. He clutched it in pain, as if he were fighting something.

_ “No! You are mine!”  _ a disembodied voice yelled in rage,  _ “Kill the girl! I command it!” _

Syrus’s body moved on its own. Amelie brought up her hammer to block the hit, but it was knocked from her grasp. The beast knocked her down, one large hand more than enough to hold her down. She struggled in his grasp, but even her strength was no match for his. He leaned in, a maw of dripping fangs reaching to tear her throat out.

“P-Please…” Amelie begged, “D-Don’t you….remember….the F-Festival of...Blooms…?” She struggled to breathe as his hold grew tighter. “P….Please…..S-S...S-Sonic…”

The nickname just slipped out. It was the first time she had ever used it since they’d met outside of asking him where it had come from. As much as he’d been called it from his family, it was always a term of endearment. His head pulled away, jaw closing. No sooner had he done that did the pain resume once more. He pulled away, releasing the girl and leaving her coughing and gasping again for breath. He staggered back, curling up as much as he could. She cautiously approached, but he snarled at her in some attempt to warn. He wasn’t fully in control, and even if he was he couldn’t speak. She flinched away, not daring to try and approach him again.

“P-Please…” she said somewhat hoarsely, her eyes rimmed with tears, “S-Sonic...c-come back...D-Don’t let that w-witch win…”

He looked strained, tears brimming in his eyes as his claws dug into his head. A strangled whimpering sound escaped the beast as a strange glow returned to his eyes. Suddenly his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell over while his world went black.

  
_ “NO!” _ the disembodied voice of the witch Ursula screamed,  _ “He was mine! He was mine and I lost him because of you! You’ll pay for this you little weed!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, some lore on the origin of Sonic's curse! And our heroes finally meet Ursula face to face. She's cast a powerful spell on Sonic, drawing his wereform out during the daylight and controlling him. Amy seems to have broken it, but he's blacked out. Has Ursula's control on him truly been released? Will his form return to normal beneath the sunlight? Stay tuned to find out!


	16. Chapter 16

He didn’t stir again until late afternoon, late enough for longer shadows, but not close enough for twilight yet. Amelie backed away, her hammer at the ready in case he decided to attack again. The beast, Sonic - or Syrus, she wasn’t sure which name to call him anymore - held the side of his head as he stood and turned to her. Even with a hunched posture, he was much taller than she was now. The Rose backed away several steps, which caused his eyes to widen. He sunk back down to all fours, lupine ears folded back as he tried to appear as docile as a werebeast’s body could manage.

Amelie took a cautious step forward. “D-Do you, know who I am?” she asked hesitantly.

He nodded.

“A-And do you...know who you are?”

Another nod, but still no words.

“Y-You owe me an explanation, you know…” She waited, but he said nothing. “Well?”

He shifted forward, causing her to bring her hammer up in defense. He froze, looking hurt, before he slowly and cautiously reached an arm out. He used a claw to scratch a message into the dirt.

‘I can’t speak like this.’

He looked to Amelie before shifting away to allow her to come forward and read it, his glowing eyes watching her. It hurt that she was so wary of him, but he could understand, given what had happened. He tried so hard to fight that witch, but her magic had still managed to take control of his body anyway.

Her eyes scanned the message before they became sympathetic. “I’m...I’m sorry, I-I didn’t know…” she apologized. Maybe asking ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions would work better in her favor. She sat down cross legged, hugging her cloak around her like a child with a blanket for comfort as he continued to watch her. “Have you...been like this for a long time? Is it...i-is it the reason you’re...n-never around at night?”

He gave a nod for both answers. How he wished he could give her a better explanation than this, but the witch hadn’t taken the force away that was causing him to stay stuck as a beast. It wasn’t like they could just waltz back to town and look for the witch. It was likely she wouldn’t even cooperate in reverting it anyway.

Amelie’s ears fell sadly. Her tears were still falling and she wiped at them in a vain attempt to stem them. He shifted, wanting to reach out but stopping himself. He looked at his clawed hand with disgust. She hated the kind of thing he was; what right did he have to even try to comfort her?

Amelie’s gaze looked upon him again, watching how he looked away from her in shame. “You...don’t like being this...thing, d-do you?”

He shook his head, the white-tipped quills following along with the movement.

Amelie looked at the ground sadly. She felt so conflicted, this man she had started to have feelings for was in fact the very thing she despised so, the very thing she swore to hunt down. He may not be her late lover’s murderer, but he was one of them, a skinchanger. She should hate him, should be trying to destroy him. He told her before he welcomed death, and she could so easily grant it.

Yet at the same time, she couldn’t bring herself to do that. As monstrous as he looked, he wasn’t trying to attack her. He was going out of his way to appear as non-threatening as possible considering his appearance, the frightening visage and the clothes still intact struggling to cling to his muscular form. 

She found herself blushing a little, shifting her bangs to obscure much of her face. He watched her, his head tilting slightly at her behavior. The werebeast shifted awkwardly, laying himself down like a wolf, a low grunt coming from him once he got comfortable. Amelie glanced through her bangs when she heard the noise before she pulled her hood up to hide her face. A large part of her wanted to hate and fear him, but another part was thinking he looked adorable in the way he was acting. She shook her head, ridding herself of the thoughts. They had more pressing matters to deal with, such as breaking the spell left on him since, according to that witch, he was only supposed to transform at night and the sun was still fairly high in the sky.

“S-So...a-any idea how to...break the spell on you…?” she asked.

He looked to her, lifting a head that had gone to resting on crossed arms and shaking it no. He tried not to shake it too hard; his head still ached something terrible from the mind control and the hammer smash to the head. It was certainly worse than any hangover he could remember ever experiencing.

Amelie’s face turned thoughtful. “M-Maybe...maybe Lunis has a library I could look in…” she suggested.

A low rumble came from his throat, almost a growl but not quite, as if he didn’t agree with the idea.

“W-Well, you can’t go into town and look!” she argued, puffing her cheeks out indignantly, even under the hood, “S-Somebody has to…”

He whined, not liking the idea of her going alone into that town knowing the witch was the one in charge. For all they knew, she hid any cure for whatever spell she had cast on him.

“W-Well...we need to do SOME-thing,” the pink hedgehog argued, “We can’t just leave you like this…”

That was at least one thing they could agree wholeheartedly on. He didn’t want to be stuck as a beast during the daylight as well. He already missed his voice, but with nighttime just a few hours away and Lunis being at least two hours back down on foot, he was probably going to be stuck like this until tomorrow.

He shifted forward again, scratching another message into the dirt after wiping away the first one: ‘The hike is far. I can give you a lift.’

Amelie shook her head after reading it. “I...don’t think...I-I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said, “S-Someone might see you…” That, and she wasn’t at all comfortable with the idea of riding on the back of any type of beast like him.

Though he couldn’t see her face too well, he could sense the hesitancy in her voice. She still didn’t trust him, which hurt quite a lot. He’d broken it in so many ways now, it was going to be tough earning it back, if he ever could.

She started to get up again, but before she could leave he whined again to get her attention. When the Rose turned around, he scratched another message into the dirt.

‘Please be careful.’

Her eyes widened a little. Despite everything, it touched her knowing he cared. She managed a nod of her head in response.

“I will,” she promised, “I’ll find a way to fix this, somehow.” With a turn on her heel, the Rose left the clearing, the magical fires long since extinguished, and leaving the beast alone in the clearing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel bad for these two. Amy is so wary of Sonic, but still she wants to help him. Seems she cares a lot, despite her fear and discomfort. Question is, will she be able to find a way to break the spell that Ursula placed on Sonic? Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out!


	17. Chapter 17

It had been a few hours since Amelie had left. Sunset loomed, and the beast actually found himself looking forward to it. He’d spent the better part of those hours alone reflecting on what had happened. It sickened him that the witch had used him like she had, made him try to kill the pink Rose by controlling him. Gods, if Amelie hadn’t gotten through to him…

He shook his head, shoving those ‘what ifs’ away. It would do no good to dwell on them, so he instead had let his mind wander to something else.

Sonic. She had called him Sonic, for the first time since asking why he had such a strange nickname. He’d heard it through the thick fog that had settled in his head. It had been that one word that had really triggered him to fight back as hard as he had. No one had called him that in years, not since he’d lost everyone close to him. Most just called him by his Hunter title now, but Amelie, she was different. And now she knew his secret. He wasn’t sure what he would do with this new bit of information, but it would be a bridge he would cross when he came to it.

The great beast rolled over, looking to the west where the clearing overlooked down the mountain. The sun was setting, but for the first time, there was no pain. He was already a beast, so there was no need for there to be any pain to change into such. He was intrigued and so pushed himself to all fours to go bask in the dying light. He never realized how beautiful the sky was at sunset, yellow and orange and red, the colors of fire. He had to squint through the blinding light, as his current eyes were made for the dark, but he was still able to make it all out. As it sank lower, the colors cooled to hues of purple and especially pink, reminding the beast of Amelie.

Sonic felt his face grow hot as he thought of the girl, yet at the same time a smile crossed his otherwise frightening face. He wasn’t sure how he was going to keep himself from falling for her anymore, especially now that she knew. Perhaps she would just leave, but then perhaps not. She was going out of her way to search for a way to break whatever spell was keeping him in his werebeast form when she could as well just have abandoned him to his fate when she found out the truth. He didn’t know how much weight it carried, but perhaps she cared about him on some level as well, as more than just a student cares for a teacher or one friend cares for another.

Something to think about for another time. For now, he laid down to enjoy the day’s dying light.

~~~

It was just an hour or so before sunset when Amelie finally made it back down the mountain on her own. She pulled her hood down, wary that she might be spotted. She wouldn’t put it past the witch to have filled the minds of the citizens of Lunis that the pink hedgehog was an enemy, someone that belonged in jail or worse. It wasn’t something she could chance, but her outfit was too well known and too noticeable with all the red. As much as she loved it, she would need to ditch it and find something else to wear in the meantime.

That came with a complication of not actually having any spare clothes on her person. She had money, but that meant she would need to go into town and actually buy something, and if people really did turn against her then that would cause unwanted complications. Though it was against her creed, she would have to resort to stealing.

She skulked around the shadows of the gate for nearly forty minutes waiting to see if a merchant’s caravan might show up. A couple of other carts had come and gone in that time, but they weren’t the kind she needed. Merchant carts were usually well guarded and a bit more extravagant in order to catch peoples’ attention.

Then finally, her waiting paid off. The very thing she sought came up the the gate: three carts long, with at least a dozen guards around it with a slightly pudgy man seated in the lead. She smiled to herself: time for a distraction, and she had the perfect one in mind as she loaded up her crossbow and took careful aim. Horses spooked easy, even big ones like these. She pulled the trigger and fired one bolt after another in quick succession.

The bolts all hit their marks. With the high velocity and speed, they snapped the cables keeping the horses tethered to the caravans. The loud noises spooked one horse enough to startle the other ones and one after another they bolted leaving the carts stranded. The merchant at the front swore several profanities after.

“Round up these thrice damned beasts of burden!” he ordered, “Or I won’t pay the lot of ya!” He got down to examine where the cable had snapped, finding a crossbow bolt embedded in the wood. “And someone find out who dared attack my horses! I’ll have someone’s head for this, mark my words!”

In all the confusion and chaos, Amelie made her move. The waning light helped hide her form, and the lessons Sonic had been teaching her allowed her to find her way even when her eyes started becoming useless with the sun’s setting. No one saw her as she listened to every nuance in her surroundings, remaining hidden as a predator. She started rummaging through the back of one of the carts, keeping her senses alert as she searched for anything resembling a cloak and clothes in relatively her size. She had to be quick.

The Huntress didn’t find anything until she was on the middle cart, and by then she could hear the horses being brought under control and the clop of their hooves on the stone. She used her strength to yank open a crate and pulled out the first set of clothes she saw, and a cloak she found in a second crate. She ended up leaving a few gold pieces behind as compensation and ran off with her prize wrapped up in her arms, disappearing into the woods.

A short time later, Amelie reemerged from the woods dressed in all new attire. It was primarily a white off-the-shoulder tunic with tan pants and a darker brown knee-high pair of boots with a long hooded cloak of green the color of pine trees. She left everything but her satchel of coins behind, hidden beneath a boulder in a hole she dug out as swiftly as she could.

Night had fallen by the time she reached the gate where a soldier stopped her.

“Halt,” he said, “What business do you have in Lunis?”

“Please sir,” she said in the most innocent and weak voice she could muster, “I just need a room for the night. I’ve traveled so far, and there’s nowhere else I can go for the night.” The guard scrutinized her, but she couldn’t see his face beneath the helmet nor could he see hers under the cloak. “I have coin,” she added.

“Very well,” he replied, giving the signal for the gatekeeper to open the gate, “Enjoy your stay in Lunis.”

Amelie bowed deeply and found her way inside. Even at night, the lanterns on the sides of the road all had fire blazing within them. It wasn’t as busy as the day had been, but plenty of people still went about the streets. The Huntress kept her head low, feeling naked without her weapons. She couldn’t chance being recognized since most knew what Dommen Steg looked like, and it would most definitely give her away.

Amelie ended up finding her way to a tavern. It wasn’t packed, but there was still a fair crowd inside. She kept her head low, ignoring the cat-calls her way as she took a seat at the bar.

“What’ll it be missy?” the lady bartender behind the counter asked.

“Pint of beer please,” she replied, keeping her face cloaked in shadow, “Easy on the head.”

The bartender poured her drink and slid it down the bartop, where Amelie caught it without issue. She wasn’t a big fan of alcohol, but she could hold it well enough if she had to. She took a sip, glancing around and listening.

Some gentlemen sat in the stools on her left. They paid her no mind as they ordered a couple rounds and started to chat. 

“Did you hear that Miss Belle took down an entire pack of werebeasts?” one said.

“No way,” said the second, “You always exaggerate. No possible way it was more than one or two.”

“I’m telling you,” said the first, “It’s true! I heard it from the meat stall lady in the marketplace earlier!”

“Heh, yeah right,” the second laughed, “Knowing her she’ll be turning it into an entire army by the end of the night.” He sighed, wiping a tear from his eye from laughing. “Ah, still, there’s always a basis for these rumors, and while I doubt they were beasts given the fact the sun was up, I’m sure Miss Belle’s magic made short work of them.”

Amelie’s ears perked to the conversation, drawing her interest. “Excuse me gentlemen,” she said sweetly, “What was that about werebeasts?”

“Oh, hey there little lady, didn’t see you there,” the first one apologized, leaning forward to look around his friend, “but yeah, you heard right. Miss Belle took care of them no problem.”

Amelie sipped her beer thoughtfully. “That sounds like something Hunters or Huntresses would be sent after,” she mused, “Not the head of a town.”

“Oh, someone was sent,” the first man replied, “but apparently they couldn’t do the job right or something. Rumor around town is that they turned on one another for some...ethical bullshit or some such. As if skinchangers have feelings anymore after they’re infected.”

Amelie tilted her head, the words echoing in the back of her mind. “But surely, some of them can’t be all bad?” she suggested, “They are still people right?”

The second one guffawed. “Don’t make me laugh little lady,” he said, banging a fist on the bartop in his episode before the barkeep yelled at him, “Next thing I know, you’re going to say they keep their minds when they turn.”

Amelie laughed, forcing the nervousness to stay out of her voice. “Of course, how silly of me,” she replied, “but surely...there must be some sort of cure, is there not?”

The first man shrugged. “Hell if I know, I ain’t no bookworm lady.”

The barkeep came by with the mens’ drinks before she sidled down to Amelie. She could tell something was up while the two men fell back into their own conversation.

“What’s wrong missy?” she asked, leaning onto the counter, “I may not see your face, but your posture tells me something’s eating you up inside.”

“Huh?” the hooded woman questioned, “Oh, just...I’m...trying to find out information on lycanthropy, to help a dear friend of mine. Everyone I know is convinced he’s beyond saving, but I just know there has to be something. My search so far hasn’t yielded anything however…”

“Ah,” the barkeep said knowingly, “Trying to help a lover then?”

Despite her face being cast in shadow, the Rose blushed deeply. “Oh, oh no, no, nothing like that,” she insisted, “but he is...a dear, dear friend, and I don’t want to lose him to a Hunter’s blade or some such.”

“You’d be better checking the library,” the barkeep said, “it might have some books about what you’re looking for. You’d have to wait until tomorrow however, seeing as it’s closed.”

“That is unfortunate,” the pink hedgehog sighed, “I suppose I’ll just have to rent a room for the night and check tomorrow.” She finished her drink. “Perchance, where is the library, so I might find it tomorrow? And which way to an inn?”

“There’s a library to the left of the fountain when you come in the main gate to town,” the barkeep replied, “The inn’s about a block from here. Just take a right out the door.”

Amelie smiled under her hood. “Thank you for the help,” she said. She pulled out a pair of gold coins to pay for the drink, plus an extra as a tip for the information. “Have a good night.”

“Be seeing you,” the barkeep said with a wave before she went to go help more guests.

Amelie returned the way before she was out the door. Instead of going to the inn, she made her way back toward the fountain. She couldn’t chance the merchant she’d stolen the clothing from seeing her; surely he’d recognize the outfit seeing as it was practically brand new. Luckily no one else had picked up on that fact that it looked almost too new, but the long cloak helped hide that fact quite easily. 

No, the Rose headed for the library instead. It was time for her to ‘borrow’ some books.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's always some kind of obstacle standing in the way isn't there? Amy's persistent though! She's intent on helping Sonic in any way she can, whatever it takes. Will she find some way to break the spell that plagues him? Stay tuned to find out!


	18. Chapter 18

Sonic never could have imagined sunset could be so beautiful. If he’d ever properly seen one, it was at a time he had no memory of, so dusk and dawn were always signs of dread to him. But now, just this once, he had an image cemented in his head of what they really looked like. Things would eventually go back to normal once the spell was broken, but now he had an image in his head to fall back upon of just what it should be like. Maybe it was possible he could call upon it whenever he needed it at night, maybe even make the nightly transformation feel just a little less painful.

The moon had crested the mountaintops long since. He had no idea of how long Amelie would be gone, but he worried for her. It would be dark by the time she returned, if she didn’t stay at the inn for the night. The nights were still crisp, and that would leave her cold. His fur could easily keep her warm. It was longer and thicker, and his body heat was always higher in his beastly form. No doubt she’d reject the offer, so a fire would be the next best thing. It would be tricky, but he at least knew how to build them and the clearing was a perfect place.

He set to work collecting all manner of branches and logs from the area surrounding the clearing and after some time he had a quite a tidy bunch gathered. Building the actual fire took a bit more finesse, but the beast managed to arrange the branches in some semblance of a suitable pile while extra fuel was kept nearby. Next he had to actually light the fire, but before he could start trying hunger twisted his insides. It had been quite awhile since they’d eaten and it was possible Amelie might be hungry if she came back tonight. It was a long hike, and even if she’d grabbed a bite to eat in town, two hours was quite a long time.

There wasn’t much in the way of large game in the immediate area, and the werebeast dared not stray far in case Amelie did return like he hoped. It would be nice not having to spend a night alone, even if she kept a distance from him.

In the end, he found plenty of rabbits and squirrels to sate himself on. He saved a couple rabbits for cooking and returned to the clearing with his prize in his mouth. There was still actually the matter of lighting the fire, so he dropped the carcasses nearby and started to clumsily light the fire.

It took several attempts and several snapped sticks before Sonic ever got a spark. He’d never built a fire as a beast before, so it was difficult to gauge just how much strength he needed to use on such a delicate task. In the end though, the spark took, and he gently brought it to life until the whole pile was glowing in the warm light. With that task complete, he moved onto skinning and cleaning the meat as best he could, hoping that Amelie liked rabbit or would at least stomach something crudely cooked with no seasonings of any sort.

~~~

Sonic was quite proud of himself when he finally skewered the meat and started turning it on a crudely crafted rotisserie. He couldn’t help sniffing the air, saliva surging into his mouth. Despite satisfying his hunger already, he couldn’t help himself. He was a predator after all, and meat was just so delectable, cooked or not. He held back however, as it wasn’t for him.

Something shifted in the trees, alerting the werebeast. He jumped into a defensive low stance on all fours, a growl rumbling in his throat and the fur out his back raising involuntarily, making him look even bigger than he already was.

A figure stepped into the clearing before they suddenly froze. The hood was quickly pulled back, revealing a very wary pink woman. Sonic quickly relaxed, his fur settling back down and his face becoming at least a little less aggressive looking. His tail even started to wag, as embarrassing as it was.

Amelie cautiously approached the fire, giving the werebeast a wide berth as her gaze remained on him. At first she didn’t notice the rabbit cooking on the wooden spit until its scent enticed her nose. She looked between it and Sonic, who was smiling at her with a tilted head.

“Is...is that for me…?” she asked hesitantly before he bobbed his large head. 

Viridian eyes returned to the cooking meat, a tightness forming in her stomach and reminding her she hadn’t actually eaten anything at the tavern she visited and she’d hiked at least six hours that day alone. Her weariness started to creep up on her, also leading her to realize her legs felt like lead, so she let herself sit down cross-legged by the fire and laid her belongings down in the grass.

Sonic joined her, albeit sitting a distance away so she didn’t feel too wary of him. His glowing eyes watched her take the meat off the fire. It was crispy by now, sizzling as the liquid inside it continued to evaporate. As she inspected the meat, he couldn’t help taking notice of her attire. A long green cloak hugged her shoulders instead of the usual red and the way she moved her arms about pushed the cloth back revealing the white tunic beneath. He couldn’t help his eyes traveling down her form as she finally tore a bite off and when he realized her was staring and the clothes hugged her just a little too well, he averted his eyes and instead looked at the fire, shifting to try and hide a blush forming on his face.

Silence fell between them: he couldn’t speak and Amelie was busy eating. It wasn’t until she sighed contentedly that he looked over at her again.

“Thank you….I needed that,” she said. His eyes fell to her clothes then back to her face. It didn’t take her long to understand. “I suppose you’re...wondering about the outfit…” She pulled her knees close to her, resting her chun upon them. “Well, I may have ‘liberated’ them from a merchant.

He raised a brow, grunting in disappointment.

“I left some coin in the cart for it!” she exclaimed, “Besides, I needed it. I couldn’t be sure that the witch didn’t turn the entire town against us, so I needed a disguise.” She turned to her pile of belongings, unwrapping the cloth and producing three books from it. She rolled her eyes at his reaction. “Yes, I ‘borrowed’ these too. Yes, I know stealing is wrong, but we needed them! I found out in town that rumors have already spread that we turned on one another and that the beasts up here took us out. They think we’re dead. I couldn’t just waltz into the inn and wait for the library to open in the morning. The merchant might have found me as well and I’d be thrown in jail for theft!”

He sighed, a low noise in his throat as he tried to convey that he understood. It didn’t mean that he was happy about it though.

“Yes, yes, I get it. I’ll try not to steal things in the future…” she replied. Amelie opened one of the books and started to read. Without looking up, she started to explain what they were for. “There are apparently different types of lycanthropy, different ways they trigger, possible ways to cure them. I’ll find something in here.”

He grunted rather loudly. Amelie’s eyes snapped up and he leaned toward her. Naturally, she flinched away, but he ignored it and started scratching in the dirt.

‘It can wait. You should sleep.’

The woman frowned after reading it. “Don’t you want to speak again?” she asked, “Besides, you still owe me a lot of answers, and it’ll take too long doing it like this.”

‘Then sleep,” he wrote, ‘Let me have until after dawn.’

Amelie cocked an eyebrow in confusion. “Why? Don't you want to go back as soon as possible after being stuck as...this, for so long?”

His brow furrowed and he erased those words to form a new message. ‘I want to see the sunrise.’

Her eyes widened in surprise. “The sunrise? Why? It’s so trivial, and I---” She cut herself off when he looked at her almost pleadingly. It certainly shocked her, but then, a lot of things were right now. Then it suddenly dawned on her. “You’ve...never seen the sunrise before, have you…?”

Sonic shook his head sadly, looking up at the night sky. With a sigh, Amelie closed the book. She wasn’t sure what she was suddenly getting herself into, compromising with a werebeast no less, but, perhaps she could compromise this time.

“Alright, til after sunrise,” she agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stealing is wrong people, but Amy at least has a very solid reason for doing it. Let's hope she doesn't get in too much trouble for it, because curing Sonic is a bit more complicated than it sounds.


	19. Chapter 19

Amelie didn’t get as much sleep as she hoped, her mind too preoccupied with looking into the books to try and learn more and find a cure. She did try to read by fire light, but it eventually strained her eyes too much. The warmth made her drowsy and before she knew it she had fallen asleep.

By the time she awoke again, the first rays of dawn warmed her face. The beast was nowhere to be seen in her immediate view, so she sat up and looked around for him. She found him perched up high in one of the trees, a massive clawed hand shielding his eyes against the dawn’s light as the sun rose. She chanced getting a little closer, her eyes widening in surprise at the look she spotted on his face. If she didn’t know any better, Amelie would say that Sonic was smiling in wonder. Her own gaze turned toward the sunrise, leaving her to wonder just how many he’d missed in all his years. To her, the sunrise and set were trivial things and though she found them beautiful when she saw them she never stopped to appreciate them as he was.

The Rose returned to the remains of the campfire and sat down with the books, opening one to start reading. Now more than ever she wanted to find a way to help him. That, and if were only admitting it to herself, she missed hearing him speak. The beast half made her so wary of him, and she had so many questions to ask. They had to break that spell somehow.

~~~

Amelie read for quite awhile. She didn’t see Sonic disappear to go hunt for some sort of breakfast nor return with something for her until he started building a new fire. She looked up and he smiled at her, at least until he realized he was flashing his fangs and it fell. His ears did the same and he looked away. Amelie sighed sadly, but continued reading through the books.

“Here we go!” she suddenly exclaimed, startling the beast with her loud volume, “A magic spell that forces a werebeast to come out during the day! According to this book, a potion made from nightshade extract, the sap of an oak tree, honeycomb, juniper berries, a robin’s egg, and fire salts can be ingested by the victim and activated by a sudden shock to the system can break the spell, thus allowing the afflicted to return to normal during the daytime!” Her ears fell as she took the rotisserie-cooked rabbit without much thought. “Oh, but some of these ingredients are hard to come by... We’d have to go into town and try our luck in the marketplace, but, you’re still...like this and it might be dangerous for me to be seen.”

Sonic grunted, spelling out words in the dirt with his claw. ‘Get the fire salt and nightshade however you can. I can find the rest around here.’

Amelie’s face turned uncertain. “I’m no alchemist though; I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

The werebeast frowned and scratched in a new message. ‘Is there a recipe?’

The Huntress flipped through a few more pages before her eyes lit up. “Oh, there is, right at the back!”

‘Then we simply follow it. You can do this. I believe this.’ He whined and looked at her with a surprisingly soft expression on an otherwise fearsome face, like he believed in her.

Amelie felt touched by the kind words and couldn’t help a smile passing her lips. “That’s sweet of you,” she said, “Okay, I’ll see if I can find them. It should be easier in the daytime. I’ll just keep my head low, find a stall or an alchemy store, and make sure I stay out of sight of that merchant.”

A low rumble came from the beast’s throat like he was laughing, until his face turned serious again. ‘Just be careful, please,’ he wrote, his accompanying look almost pleading, “I don’t want to lose you.’

The Rose was shocked by the words, so much so that she only managed a nod of her head before she pulled the hood of her new cloak up, stood, and waved as she departed. Sonic watched her go, wishing he could go with her. He had his own ingredients to find though so looking at the book where she’d left it open, the werebeast memorized them before he disappeared into the forest to start gathering.

~~~

After the long hike down the mountainside with naught but the clothes on her back and a satchel of whatever money she had left, Amelie made her way into town. She snuck inside with a farming caravan making a routine delivery, keeping her head low and face out of sight. The Huntress immediately made for the marketplace, the streets bustling more by day than they did at night. She passed by vegetable stalls and meat stalls, a couple stalls selling armor and another selling jewelry. She checked in shops for anything remotely related to alchemy, but was having little luck as noon rolled around.

It wasn’t until she saw a sign bearing a mortar and pestle tucked away in a small corner that things started to turn around. Amelie entered, trying to be discreet about what she was looking for. Unfortunately, she spied neither the fire salts nor the nightshade extract the potion would need. This forced her to have to approach the proprietor to ask.

“Excuse me,” Amelie started, putting on her best child-like and innocent voice, “I need help finding something.”

“Oh, what can I do for you dearie?” the old woman on the other side of the counter asked, “It’s not everyday that a young girl like you visits my humble little shop.”

“Oh I’m...shopping for a friend really,” the young woman said, “It’s just, a couple of the ingredients they need are kind of uncommon, and I’ve been having a hard time finding them.”

“What would those be dearie? Perhaps I can find them for you,” the old woman offered, “We have supplies in the back not on display currently.”

Amelie shuffled nervously. “W-Well, I need fire salts and nightshade extract…” she replied.

“Oh my, now those are some rare and potentially lethal ingredients,” the old alchemist said, “Makes me wonder what your friend could possibly be brewing.”

Amelie rubbed her arm beneath her cloak. “They...wouldn’t tell me, b-but, they said they needed them urgently, so...I-I really can’t spare much time to chat.”

The old woman laughed. “I’m so sorry dearie. Just give me a moment and I’ll see what I have in the back.”

While the alchemist disappeared into the back room, Amelie started looking for a mortar and pestle to buy. A small one was needed to help grind some of the ingredients down and she didn’t currently own a set, in addition to needing a small cauldron to actually hold all the ingredients over an open fire.

When the old lady returned, Amelie brought the additional items up to the counter with her.

“Lucky for you dear I still had some of each in stock. I do hope it’s enough.”

“It’s perfect,” the Rose replied, “How much for everything?”

The woman tallied up the price and Amelie pulled out her satchel and dumped the remainder of coins on the counter. She counted them up, but to her horror she came up more than a little short.

“I’m sorry dearie, but I can’t sell everything to you if you can’t pay,” the old alchemist apologized, “Sadly I can’t afford to lower my prices.”

“But I need all of these things for the potion, please,” she begged, “Isn’t there something I can do?”

The woman stared at her thoughtfully, admiring Amelie’s cloak. “There might be one thing,” she mused, “That cloak of yours, if I didn’t know any better I’d say it was genuine silk. We don’t see many cloaks like that in these parts.”

Amelie’s hands grabbed either side of the cloak and pulled the ends a bit closer. “I-I shouldn’t, it was a gift…” she said.

The old woman sighed. “That’s a shame really. Something like that is worth a fortune to the right person. Oh well.” She smiled sadly. “I really am sorry dearie. I wish I could help, but the coin you have would barely cover one of the ingredients, let alone everything. If that’s all then--”

“Wait!” the Rose exclaimed, “I’ll take it! Please, you...y-you can have to cloak…” 

With shaking hands the hedgehog undid the cloak around her and handed it to the alchemist, shifting her thick bangs over her scar while the old woman folded it up, took a portion of the gold on the counter, and tucked everything inside a woven basket securely so the vials of ingredients wouldn’t get damaged. Amelie swept what little money was left into her satchel and thanked the old woman for her help before hurrying out the door. She needed to get out of the village fast. 

Amelie tried to keep her head down, but with the cloak gone, she was a lot more conspicuous. Pink fur was pretty but it could draw a lot of attention, and in her hurried gait, the wind she created on herself lifted her bangs away from her face. It revealed her very pronounced scar, and as she tried to get through the marketplace as quickly as possible, a shout was heard.

“That’s her! That’s the one I saw running from the merchant’s caravan yesterday! She’s the one that attacked! I recognize the clothes!” 

Heads immediately turned.

“But how?!”

“Miss Belle said she was killed!”

“Someone get her!”

Amelie hugged the basket close and broke out into a run. She didn’t have any weapons with her, and even with her strength she had no way to fight back effectively against multiple people while carrying her haul. All she could do was run, and shove her way past several civilians. She ducked under a pair of guards that tried to make a grab for her and headed down an alleyway for an escape.

“Cut her off! We need to bring her in for questioning!” she heard someone shout.

Her heart pounded in her ears. She couldn’t be caught like this; Sonic was depending on her to get back safe. And to do that she needed to get out without being caught.

She took another turn down a different alleyway, but found that one to be a dead end. Panicking, she summoned every ounce of strength she had and punched a hole through the wall. Something cracked badly in her knuckles, but in her adrenaline-fueled flight she barely registered any pain. 

The Rose emerged onto another street and took off when she saw more guards following her. She took a turn, only to find a blockade waiting for her.

“Seize her!” a guard captain shouted.

“Help!” she cried desperately.

Just as they were about to move in, a ferocious roar pierced the air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooo, we got a cure ladies and gentlemen! Some of the ingredients are harder to get though and Amy has no choice but o venture into Lunis again. Unfortunately, luck isn't on her side and she gets recognized where a chase ensues only for her to be surrounded. Will help come in time for our heroine? Will she escape? Stay tuned for the next chapter to find out!


	20. Chapter 20

Sonic searched diligently through the forest, combing over every spot he could find. Honeycomb was easy enough to find, and with a little climbing in the trees so was a robin’s egg. Oak sap was a little harder to come by, seeing as he didn’t have anything to hold it. He ended up making a crude cup by tearing a log apart from the wood pile they still had and gouging out a small hollow. Tapping a tree proved even more difficult, but his claws eventually dug the trunk of an oak tree out enough to where he had access to the sap and it ran down the path he made into the makeshift bowl. Since it was slow going, he took the time to find juniper berries. It was luckily the time of year for them, and being that they usually grew on mountainsides he had little difficulty actually finding some. He just needed to be careful not to lose his grip, which was made all the easier by having claws.

By the time the beast collected a modest amount of berries, carefully held within the cape he still wore as a makeshift basket, he made his way back to camp to leave it with the other ingredients he’d found. He went to go check on the sap and found it had filled only a little, so sinking his claws in he dug the rest out. Sticky as it was, he wanted the task done in case Amelie returned. He returned with the crude little bowl of sap, cleaning his claws off as best he could a small stream he found while scouting around for ingredients. He was surprised the Huntress had yet to return, as it had been quite awhile since her departure just after dawn, even with the annoyingly long hike.

It was another hour and a half before the beast found himself worried and unable to wait any longer. She should have been back, unless she was having trouble finding the ingredients, or worse still she had gotten herself in trouble.

Unable to suppress his growing fears, he set to work getting down the mountain as fast as possible. 

~~~

The beast reached the base within an hour. He knew it was dangerous to do what he was doing, but he just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. He prowled at the edge of the woods, wondering if he should really be doing this. Amelie could take care of herself, even without her weapons; she was smart and resourceful, not to mention strong.

On the other hand though, he couldn’t shake the feeling she was in some deep trouble. Plus, if that witch found out the pink-hued Huntress was there, she might try to kill her. She was powerful enough to draw out his monstrous half in the sunlight, infect his mind to control his body, and curse him to his current face during the day. If people really believed those rumors she’d told him she’d heard, and she were found out, there would be an uproar.

Shouting from within the city caught Sonic’s attention. Guards where he watched were being called inside following orders to catch the Bloody Rose Huntress. Sonic felt his stomach drop.

He leapt into action, regardless of whether he’d be seen or not. The beast raced for the wall, digging his claws in and scaling it. The wall was shorter than that of Anthem, making it all the easier to get to the top. A few guards were stationed at the top, but they were so startled by his sudden appearance that one ran and one stumbled and landed hard on their rear. Only one dared to try and knock an arrow to fire, but even in his current form, Sonic was more than fast enough to swipe it out of the guard's hand and snap it in two with one hand. The one that had fallen had stood up and tried to attack him with a spear, but he caught the long handle in his jaw and splintered it between his fangs. A deep growl rumbled from his chest as he did, and the guards backed up in panic. 

But he didn’t attack; that wasn’t his intention. They thought he would, but it was just a bluff to get them to back away. Instead he took a running leap onto a building within, continuing along the roof. He pulled in the scents of Lunis, trying to hone in on Amelie’s alongside the many others.

“Monster!” he heard someone shout.

He wasn’t even trying to stay hidden anymore. Adrenaline pumped through his body as he leapt from rooftop to rooftop. Panic started to sweep the streets, people running into their homes or nearby buildings for safe cover. He could have easily torn the doors down, but he wasn’t mindless; he had a singular focus.

Then he heard it, that cry for help. He recognized her voice all too well. He saw the guards converge on her from two sides with no escape ruin. Sonic belted out a loud roar, deep and ominous as he leapt down and landed beside her on all fours. His head reached to about her shoulder, but when he stood and roared again, so loud it rattled the windows and scared many of the soldiers, he towered over her. The great beast lifted Amelie into his arms as she stared at him in shock.

“She must be in league with the monster!” the captain shouted.

“It’s a werebeast!”

“But how? It’s impossible!”

“It doesn’t matter!” the captain exclaimed, “Take them both out!”

Sonic snarled, grabbing a door and yanking it clean off its hinges. Using it as both a makeshift shield and a battering ram, he plowed his way through the barricade of guards. The door was dropped and he started off on a run again. It wasn’t enough however as archers started to show up on some of the roofs. He dodged as best he could, but as he turned to protect Amelie one shot him in the shoulder. He growled, finding shelter briefly under an overhang, just long enough to yank it out and shift her onto his back. She got the message quickly to hold on tight as he sunk to all fours, hooking her arms and legs around his neck and torso respectively while still protecting her basket.

The beast was off like a shot after, claws digging in as he used his strength to propel his body forward. He knocked over carts and barrels in his wake, trying to impede the progress of the soldiers behind them. He knew they would use alternate routes to try and close them in, and there was no way the could make it safely through the front gate even with the strength he possessed.

The twang of the bows alerted his ears in which direction they were coming from, allowing Sonic to dodge without seeing where the shots were fired from. Spells also had distinct noises to them, and while there were fewer battlemages in Lunis they did still exist. Amelie screamed when a fireball flew just over her head, striking the ground ahead of them and creating a wall of fire. Sonic skidded to a halt, not daring to try and brave the flames. It was time to head to the rooftops, as they would need to get to the top of the wall anyway.

He dug his claws in, scaling up the outside wall to the roof as fast as he could. He kept them as close as possible, trying to make them smaller targets against the archers and mages. The fire started to climb the walls, enough that he could feel its heat closing in. He made it to the rooftop and started racing across them. He knew it was dangerous, they were too exposed and left little room to avoid the shots, but there was little choice if they were to get out.

Another projectile caught him, this time in the side. He snarled in pain realizing it was a crossbow bolt, but had no choice but to keep going as more volleys were inbound.

“Kill it!”

“Kill the beast!”

“Kill the girl if you must; the monster must die!”

The words rang in his ears as he finally reached the wall. With a powerful leap, the beast reached out and latched onto the stone. He slid slightly and the jolt caused Amelie to lose her grip. She screamed, but he twisted one arm around to catch her by the back of her shirt. It was a struggle, but he climbed the rest of the way with her in hand as spells were slung. An ice spell nearly hit the Rose, but Sonic pulled her on top of the wall and back onto his back.

Guards waited for them, arrows and crossbows trained on the two. 

“Give it up beast! You’re outnumbered and outmatched!” the captain from earlier said, “Let the girl go, and your death will be swift.”

Amelie looked around frantically. “What do we do?” she whispered. 

Sonic grunted, backing up toward the edge as they all started to converge. His eyes glanced discreetly over the edge. They were so close to freedom.

“Give it up. You’ve nowhere to run monster,” the captain said. 

To the surprise of everyone, the werebeast smirked. He roared once then jumped over the edge. His claws caught into the wall, slowing their descent. It didn’t stop them all the way, and as guards started shooting arrows at them again Sonic had to let go. He wasn’t able to reorient himself properly and landed on his wounded side, driving the bolt deeper through his skin. He couldn’t help a pained yelp escaping as he landed, which caused Amelie to lose her grip. She landed hard on her own side, nearly losing her grip on the basket she held so protectively. 

There was no time to check. Sonic fought through tears and got to his feet, pulling the woman back onto his back. He took off with her in tow just as another volley of arrows came at them.

“Don’t let them get away!” someone yelled from the gate.

Soldiers on horseback followed the pair as they made for the woods. Sonic pushed his strength to its limit, running as fast as he’d ever run as a beast. He put plenty of distance between them and the horses within moments, and within several more they were rushing up the mountain. He could feel the wound bleeding slowly, coating in his fur and starting to drip down his side. He could only hope the horses couldn’t follow up the steep incline.

~~~

It was over an hour before they reached the clearing. Sonic was having trouble walking on all fours properly. The crossbow was embedded pretty deep and moving too much had torn the hole it made wider open.

He let Amelie off by the remains of the fire, backing up and sitting down.

“Thank you…” she said, panting as she sat down. Her limbs ached from holding on so tight and now that the adrenaline was wearing off her knuckles stung even more. She tucked them close, searching the basket she still held, breathing a sigh of relief. “The ingredients are okay...The mortar and pestle are a little cracked but they can still be worked with…”

She glanced at Sonic, who was holding his side. He was trying to hide it, but the blood leaking between his clawed fingers betrayed it. Amelie gasped and turned, trying to get closer. She stopped short, her fears getting the better of her. He noticed the way she was acting and furrowed his brow sadly. Grunting softly in pain, he shifted to scratch a message in the dirt.

‘It’s okay. I understand,’ it said, ‘This won’t come out easily. Make the potion first. I can try to dig the bolt out. Don’t worry; my hide is thick. Even landing on it, it didn’t go deep enough to pierce anything vital.’

Amelie wasn’t as certain as he was. “A-Are you sure?” she asked hesitantly and he nodded, “Alright...I-I’ll see if I can make it…”

Sonic erased the message and wrote a new one. ‘I believe you can. You should too.’

Amelie found herself blushing and actually managed a small smile. “Alright, I’ll do my best.”

~~~

“Alright, I think that’s done it.”

It was quite hard with only one good hand and took longer than expected, but the mixture was bubbling in the little cauldron suspended over the fire, and had turned the hue of red-orange that it was supposed to. She used her cloak to help grab the handle of the little cauldron and brought it to the werebeast. He’d managed to dig the crossbow bolt out of his skin enough to grab the end of it, but his claws had left gouge marks and opened the wound up more.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” the Rose asked, “I’m fairly certain I made it right, but, the book said it could potentially be lethal…”

He held his wound and offered a pained smile, using his other hand to scratch in the dirt. ‘I’d rather take the risk than remain like this forever.’

“Well, if you’re sure…” Amelie replied, “Just...be careful, it’s still hot.”

He gave a nod and took the cauldron with the cloak. It had cooled some since she took it off the fire, but steam still rose off of it in thin wisps. Sonic’s eyes narrowed before he decided to down it in one long pull, not unlike how he sometimes drank bottles of alcohol. It tasted like bile and he wretched as he forced it down. 

But nothing happened.

“I-I don’t understand…” Amelie stammered, wide eyed as the beast fought with his own body to keep the concoction down, “I-It should’ve worked…” She ran back to the book, flinging it open and scanning through the pages. “The t-taste alone should’ve been enough of a shock to the system…”

Sonic slumped over, feeling sick to his stomach but refusing to let even a drop of the potion leave his body. He had a desperate look forming on his face, and Amelie’s hung slack, tears forming in her eyes. No, she...she couldn’t leave him like this. Maybe...maybe he just needed something else, but what?

But there was no time! He looked ready to pass out and there was no way she could go find something! A sudden pain might work but she couldn’t bring herself to put him through more than he had to go through. What else could she do to him to suddenly shock him?

There was one thing. Something so big and unexpected it would surely jumpstart the potion’s effects. She was almost loath to do it, but she couldn’t leave him to suffer like this. 

She stood and rushed to his side. She took his head in her own hands even despite how much one of them hurt. He looked at her with wide, almost frightened eyes, yet an uncertainty danced within them.

Amelie couldn’t wait any longer, not when his life could be on the line. So, despite everything - despite his monstrous appearance and the fangs and the fact she hated his kind - she pulled his head close and kissed him deeply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be honest, how many of you were going 'FINALLY!' upon reading the end of this chapter? Here's hoping it works!


	21. Chapter 21

The kiss took him completely by surprise. Sonic’s cheeks heated up and his muzzle turned red while his heart started to race. It wasn’t an unwelcome feeling, but never did he think she would dare to kiss a monster, let alone willingly.

The effect was almost immediate. Sonic pulled away, yelping in pain as his insides burned like molten iron. Amelie backed away, putting several feet between them both as she closed her eyes and covered her ears. She couldn’t watch the change, not after being forced the first time by that witch. 

She only dared peek when the clearing went silent save for the wind and the sound of their breathing. When she opened her eyes, it wasn’t a beast lying in the grass, but a cerulean hedgehog. His breathing was heavy and he seemed exhausted, but otherwise in good condition, save for the wounds in his side. A groan escaped him as he held the wound, pushing himself with a pained grunt into a sitting position.

“Hey…” he greeted, smiling with nary a trace of fangs to be seen.

“Hey…” the rose-colored woman greeted softly.

“I guess...I have some explaining to do…”

She nodded.

“It’ll have to wait a little longer…” He bit his lip to silence himself of any cries of pain, but it still showed on his face as he tried to stand.

“W-Wait! Y-You’re hurt pretty bad!” she exclaimed, reaching out. Unfortunately it was with her bad hand, and she gasped and held it close while trying to avoid tears spilling out.

He couldn’t stand the pain for long, and it forced him back into a seated position. His gaze turned to her as he continued to hold his side. “So are you…” he replied.

“Broken knuckles,” she replied, “But you...you need help before you bleed out.”

“I can manage…” he replied, though it was clear he was feeling kind of woozy.

“Not in that condition,” she objected, blinking away tears as she frowned, “I’ve seen wounds like that before, and you made it worse. Short of healing magic, which we won’t get anytime soon, it needs stitches.”

He frowned. He never liked stitches, they pulled his skin and it was worse when his body decided to change on him at night. He watched Amelie as she dug through a second satchel folded up in her first set of clothes. She pulled out a needle and spool of thread, putting the needle between her teeth and bending it carefully to make it curved before she approached.

“Why do you have that?” Sonic asked.

“Finding a tailor to fix holes in my clothes isn’t always easy. I prefer to do it myself,” she answered, “It’ll work for stitching until we can get to a proper healer. Can you thread this? I find myself lacking in an extra hand at the moment.”

He blinked and she actually smiled at what she thought was a funny joke. He couldn’t help doing the same, if a bit awkwardly. He managed to thread the needle and tie the string off per her instruction.

“Now lay back,” she instructed further. She held the needle in her teeth and gently pushed him down with her one hand. He couldn’t resist her strength. “Try to stay still. I have nothing for the pain. I can’t clean it out properly but the bleeding has to stop.”

As soon as the needle made its first pass through his skin, the blue warrior flinched. He grit his teeth, fingers digging into the ground as he tried to remain still. It went on for longer than she intended; she only had one hand to sew with and he’d managed to make the wound larger after gouging the crossbow bolt out last night with those claws. She shuddered at the thought, pausing briefly to push her bangs out of her eyes before continuing. 

After nearly an hour, she tied the thread off and used her teeth to cut the excess off while he was left there panting through the pain.

“Thank the gods…” he exhaled.

“Would you rather I cauterized it?” Amelie asked as she returned the needle and thread to her satchel, “That could have been arranged if you had asked.”

He smiled sheepishly as he forced himself to sit up, still holding his side but no longer feeling blood trickling down. “I may have just passed out from that, then where would you be?” he asked.

“Carrying your sorry hide to Lunis most likely,” she replied with a straight face, “Or at the very least to a cart bound for Anthem.”

He chuckled, wincing when it hurt a little, before his brow furrowed. “We can’t go back you know…” he pointed out, “It’s not safe...If that witch was watching--”

“I know,” she interrupted, ears folding back, “but we can’t stay here either. Those men will be looking for us. It’s a wonder they haven’t come up the mountain yet.”

“Probably too steep…” he replied, grunting as he shifted onto his knees before standing up, “Still, you are right. We need to get back…”

“Anthem’s too far,” she replied, worried as he stood, “We’d never make it with everything. You’re injured and I can barely carry any of it very effectively.”

“We have to try…” Sonic replied, doubled over slightly as he retrieved his sword. His eyes swept over the torn remnants of his gloves and the boots. There was no way he could repair them; they needed complete replacing. 

Amelie stood up and followed the blue hedgehog, worried about his condition. He tried so hard to hide it from her, but he couldn’t hide how much pain he was in. He started to collapse from it, and she used her good arm to quickly catch him.

“You’re in no condition to be moving like this,” she said, leading him back to the remnants of the fire to sit down, “I know we need to go, but you’re pushing yourself more than you should.”

“But--”

“We need a plan anyway,” she interrupted, rummaging around in her satchel. She pulled out a small vial of bright red liquid and held it out to him. “Drink this. It’s only a small health potion; much of the stuff we brought was still with the carriage we came on; but it should help ease the pain enough for you to stand.”

He took the vial and downed its contents in one gulp before handing the empty glass back to the pink hedgehog. Sonic already felt some vitality returning to his body, and while he didn’t feel one hundred percent, his side wasn’t burning.

“I take it you have some sort of plan?” he asked, “because you sound as if you do.”

“I do in fact,” she replied thoughtfully, “but you may not like it.”

~~~

She was right that he wouldn’t like it, but they had precious few options and there was no way of knowing if the effects of the minor health potion would even last. They were down the mountain within a couple hours, slower than Sonic would have ever liked but he needed to save his energy. The hard part would be coming up soon enough.

They stayed hidden; the area was crawling with soldiers, but they couldn’t bring their horses too far into the woods. Amelie used her crossbow to lure several away by shooting bolts at regular intervals if she felt they were straying too close. They needed to find one alone, or as alone as one could be. Sonic would be wearing the red cloak with the hood up, and they were going to steal the horse right from under the rider’s nose.

After enough waiting and watching, the hedgehog pair caught a rider on his own. There were three more several yards away, but they’d never reach the lone one in time to help him. 

Sonic pulled the red hood over his face, cloaking it in shadow as he stalked the lone soldier. While the man was distracted, the Wolf put his blinding speed to use and knocked the guard clean off the horse. The beast was startled, but Amelie ran over and took the reins, forcing the horse to heel while the former rider was distracted. Sonic threw the man hard into the ground, just enough to knock him out and buy the two Hunters enough time to load their belongings onto the beast. 

The commotion drew the attention of the three other soldiers and they were coming to investigate. They spotted the assailants just as Sonic was securing the last of their things to the horse.

“Stop in the name of the law!” he heard one of them shout.

Sonic’s gaze snapped to the trio then to Amelie, helping her climb on faster before he jumped up behind her. 

“Let’s go!” 

With a snap of the reins the two were off with the stolen horse. They rode low against the wind as they took off in an all-out gallop, neither hedgehog fancying being thrown off the back of a war horse. They could only hope they would get back to Anthem in one piece. Still, even with the newly acquired horse, it was going to be a very long ride back to Anthem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It worked! Huzzah! And so ends the arc of the witch's curse. Our heroes are headed back to Anthem, wounded but alive. Ursula still lives though, and is sure to seek revenge. Amy still has her own vendetta to settle, and Sonic still owes her an explanation. New adventures await our heroes, so stay tuned to find out what happens next!


	22. Chapter 22

The journey was long to be sure. They had to stop when sunset loomed. Sonic nearly fell off the galloping horse when the pain hit him hard. Amelie pulled off the main road, he shakily got down and staggered into the undergrowth. Amelie was worried when she saw him collapse just beyond the bushes, but thought better of trying to help him. There was nothing she could do for him, and it was better just to find somewhere for the horse to get a drink and a tree to tie the reins to so it wouldn’t run off.

After the howls died, the faint sound of galloping could be heard. Their pursuers had caught up, and the beast took the opportunity to lead them on a wild goose chase while Amelie built a small campfire on the shore of a small stream. The werebeast returned sometime after, a pair of dead rabbits hanging from his jaw to give Amelie something to eat. She flinched when he neared with his muzzle covered in blood. He winced seeing that face of hers, dropping the carcasses so he could go wash his face in the nearby stream. She took care of preparing the rabbits herself this time despite only having one good hand, so he stayed a distance from her so she could eat her cooked meat in peace.

They left at sunrise as soon as Sonic’s morning change woke him up. It wasn’t the best sleep, but after taking turns with keeping watch it was better than nothing. 

Midafternoon, they reached the gates of Anthem and made for a healer’s hut as soon as they could. The few health potions Amelie had had were long used up and the stitched up wound in Sonic’s side wasn’t looking too good. The stitching had to be undone and the wound washed out properly before any healing could be done and the Rose’s knuckles were too shattered in her hand to just do a quick mend. The two of them were going to be out of commission for awhile.

That gave them more than enough time to talk as Sonic was ordered on bed rest and Amelie had to stay so they could monitor her casted hand. He was given a bed in the corner with a privacy curtain. Amelie pulled up a chair beside the bandaged warrior after pulling the curtain closed.

“How are you?” she asked.

“Been better,” he replied, “Though I can’t exactly follow through on their orders.” He flashed a lopsided smile.

“You still owe me answers.”

His smile fell just as quickly. “Is this really the right place?” he asked, his voice lowering to a whisper.

“As good as any other, when you can still talk.”

“With a bunch of other people around?” he asked.

“I can get them to leave. That’s not an issue. We have all afternoon.”

A sigh escaped him. He sat up, grunting slightly as he held his side. “You’re stubborn.”

“So are you.”

“Touche.”

“So?”

“Fine,” he agreed, “If. you get me something to eat.”

She groaned. “Seriously?”

A smirk crossed his lips. “I’m partial to meat. Anything will do of course, but, if you want me talking…” He trailed off, chuckling. She wouldn’t dare begrudge him a meal if she wanted her answers so bad.

A frown creased Amelie’s features, but ultimately she gave in. “Fine, but don’t expect a banquet like the last time I visited you in here.”

A chuckle left the cerulean Hunter’s lips. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

~~~

She returned about forty minutes later to find Sonic in a light doze. The footsteps and the sound of a curtain being drawn back roused him.

“Thank you Demitri,” he heard Amelie say.

“Anything to help, m’lady,” came a male’s voice.

Sonic’s eyes opened wide to see a man with the pink hedgehog carrying bags for her. He looked at her like a hungry dog eyes a piece of fresh meat, large eyes and practically foaming at the mouth. The Wolf felt jealousy bubbling in the pit of his stomach and a growl built in his throat that surprised the two visitors.

“I’m sorry Demitri,” Amelie apologized, “You’ll have to forgive my friend here. He’s a bit cranky when he’s just woken up.” She glared at Sonic while the stranger set the bags down.

“It’s no trouble,” he assured, turning to the girl, “I do hope you’ll stop by again sometime.”

Amelie giggled. “Well aren’t you the charmer,” she teased.

Sonic snarled. “Back off pal. She’s already spoken for.”

Amelie cleared her throat in annoyance but the stranger called Demitri smiled. “T’was not my impression upon first meeting,” he replied.

“Please ignore him,” Amelie assured. She hid a devious smile from the blue hedgehog as she turned and planted a kiss on Demitri’s cheek. “I really do thank you for all your help,” she whispered.

“T’was no trouble,” he replied, taking Amy’s good hand in his own and kissing her knuckles, “I hope to see you again. Good day, fair lady.”

The stranger left and the Rose pulled the curtain back around for privacy. She set to work pulling items out of the bags and laying them on the small table beside the bed, all the while ignoring the horrible glare Sonic was giving her.

“What was that for?” he demanded.

“Whatever do you mean?” she asked innocently without looking his way.

“You know perfectly well what I mean,” he growled, “This is just like what you did to that bar owner in Lunis.”

“Why do you care?” she asked, glancing sideways at him, “It’s not like you’re dating me.”

“Because…Because I don’t want to see you getting hurt,” he replied, faltering slightly, “That guy was a pig. It’s not hard to see it on his face that there’s only one thing he wants.”

“You think I don’t know that?” she asked, calm as the sea after a storm, “I was using him to get what I want. That was the butcher’s boy. I needed a discount on cooked meat because I don’t have a lot of money left right now, and I can’t cook with a bad hand. So I got him to help me. You’d be surprised how well a butcher can cook.”

Sonic blinked, his anger changing over into confusion. “That...That’s it? For a discount?”

“Of course,” she replied with a shrug, “What, do you think I’d throw myself at a boy barely into his manhood? You shame me.”

“Then why’d you kiss him?”

“To prove something to myself,” she replied curtly, “and it was true.”

Sonic ran a hand through his quills, looking away as his confusion mixed with guilt. He’d jumped to conclusions so easily, but what was it she was trying to prove? That he was jealous? Hardly. Well, maybe, but even if that were the truth why would she purposely goad him? That couldn’t be all there was to it. Unfortunately the allure of steaming food addled his brain too much to continue worrying about it. The hedgehog grabbed the first plate of food within reach and began chowing down while Amelie took a seat by the bedside.

“Alright, you’ve gotten your meal,” she said, “I’ve requested time alone with you so no one will bother us. Now talk. Why do you have this second face? Is what the witch said really true, that your family was cursed by her long ago? Why didn't you tell me?”

Sonic swallowed, looking at her face. She was determined to get answers, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to share. He didn’t have much choice, being bed bound until at least sunset. It hurt too much to move a lot and Amelie would just force him to stay if he tried to run. So he leaned back into his pillow, staring at the ceiling.

“I can’t tell you exactly why I turn into a beast at night,” he began, “All I know is that a curse exists in my bloodline, passed from one generation to the next as far back as my family could remember. One of my earliest memories was the pain from when I first turned. Whether that witch truly was the catalyst or not isn’t for me to know. Perhaps she is, because she knew about my other face, and I’m very careful about others finding out. As for why I didn’t tell you…” he trailed off briefly, looking at her face. “I never planned to stay in Anthem this long. Normally I would be long gone by now. I could have been too, with the speed I possess.”

“Then why did you stay?” Amelie asked.

“You.”

She was quite taken aback. “Me? Why?”

“Because you walk a dark path. I’ve been down that same road once, and it led me to nothing but emptiness. I’ve seen it happen to too many others, many times leading to death. I didn’t want to see it happen again. I’ve tried so many times to prevent it for others, but I always fail. I didn’t want to see it happen to you too.”

Amelie looked away, feeling shame in her heart, as well as a deep ache. “I...made a promise…”

“It won’t bring him back,” Sonic continued, “It didn’t bring my family back, it didn’t bring me closure. Now I have no one, and I just want the cycle to end. Vengeance begets nothing more than more vengeance.”

“We’ve done this song and dance before,” Amelie replied, hugging her arms around herself.

“Would you still kill me, knowing what you know now?” he asked, “If the ones that attacked you that night were…like me, what if they were being controlled? You remember what that witch did to me, forcing me to act against my own will. What if her or another magic user did the same?” 

“That’s different…”

“And how many innocent lives could you have ended without realizing it?” he asked, “If you had killed me that night with the night stalker, or the night the umbra attacked, would you be any different?”

“I…”

“You said so yourself before, that I bring a lot of good to the world. Would you take that away?”

“And you’ve said you wanted to die.”

“Aye, that I have,” he answered, “And I still do. There’s no other way to end the nightmare I live through every night. I don’t want another generation to suffer through that, but at the same time, I find my perspective starting to shift lately, where I want to do as much good in the world as I can with the time the gods have graced me with.”

“And what if I find the ones responsible? Have I not the right to exact payment in kind?”

“You could perhaps give them a chance to give their side of the story, then decide.”

“And why would I do that?” she demanded.

“You did it for me,” he replied, catching the girl off-guard, “You could have killed me in that mountain clearing that day, but instead you tried to save me. Don’t others like me deserve that one chance?”

Amelie exhaled shakily. “I...have to go for a bit,” she said abruptly, “I...have some things to think about…”

Sonic watched her stand up. “Please, at least consider it. If not for my sake, then for yours.”

The Huntress said nothing as she left her companion’s company, many thoughts swirling in her head. He watched her go, desperately wishing he could make her understand, but it was a truth she needed to figure out on her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean, Sonic's got a point at the end there.


	23. Chapter 23

“Ugh, they got away!” came a feline’s shriek. A glass orb was thrown across the room, shattering on impact against the wall. “I knew I should have finished them myself! I underestimated that little weed and the lengths she’d go to save that mongrel! Grr, what good are these maggots of Lunis if they do not serve my whims!”

She shrieked again. Rouge magic spells flew from her hands in her fury, scarring the walls, the floor, the ceiling. The table upon which the now-shattered crystal ball had sat went up in flames, burning to ash as a lightning bolt split the accompanying chair in twain. The umbra dragon in the room cowered in a corner, terrified of its mistress’s wrath as a young pup was of an owner’s yelling. For such a creature to feel fear was a pathetic thing to see, but the wrath of an ancient witch was more terrifying than the ugliest of demons.

“And to top it all off, they got away back to Anthem!”

The witch started to float in the air, her green eyes glowing bright. A terrible wind formed around her, a twister so strong it threatened to shatter the very walls and engulf her castle. She screamed one last time, and the twister suddenly vanished. The air was still as she descended toward the floor. Yet her feet never touched it. She sat floating in the air, one leg crossing over the other in a ladylike fashion. Palm turned up, she waved her other hand and the shattered glass swirled around the room into her palm. The glass orb reformed, floating as her fingers waved over it. An image appeared within, of a young woman walking away and a wounded warrior trying to get up and follow her.

“Perhaps I can still make this work to my advantage,” she said with a devious smile, “The boy escaped me because of his precious little flower. If I can push them together, it’ll be all the sweeter to watch him fall. I kill his Rose, he’ll break faster than dropped glass, and when she’s gone, no one will stop me from taking his mind so he’ll serve me.” She giggled, a malicious glow twinkling in her eyes. “Better watch out boy, Ursula will be coming for you.”

~~~

Amelie left the healer’s center. She wasn’t allowed to leave the city without escort while injured, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t find a place to be alone. She ended up in a secluded little glen near the wall, a place Sonic had taken her a few times to work on her meditation training. It was quiet, out of the way. The townsfolk wouldn’t bother her and few, if any ever came there. It might almost be considered abandoned, were it not for the fact it was well-maintained by an unnamed party that was paid to upkeep it with no one else’s knowledge.

A small pond was fed by a trickle of water from somewhere far off, It was only a small stream, but it was enough to keep the tiny pond full and reflective. Amelie sat down by the water’s edge, closing her eyes as she focused on her breathing. 

In, and out. 

In, and out.

Her emotions slowly calmed, clarity filling her mind and washing away all other thoughts. She needed to sort things out in her mind, and meditation seemed like the best way to do it. Funny thing that; never would she have considered even trying meditation, were it not for her mentor.

Her ears fell, though her eyes remained closed and breathing even. He certainly cared a lot. He was right, he could be miles away and out of her life already, yet he had chosen to stay. He tried to help her, now he trusted her with a dark secret. She could tell everyone, get him imprisoned and shackled in town square where everyone could watch him transform as the sun went down. She would be a hero, and the world would be rid of another dangerous monster.

Yet her heart ached when she even considered it in passing. It centered itself in her chest, so great it tore her from her meditation and her hand clutched at it. Amelie was left shaking, tears sliding down her face as she bent forward and looked at her reflection in the placid water.

“I...I-I could never…” she trailed off in a weak whisper, “It...I-It would hurt t-too much…”

She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, bowing her head as she silently cried.

~~~

Sonic fell asleep at some point, unable to follow after Amelie. He’d eaten most of the food she’d brought, whatever was left being replaced into the basket. Hours passed and he didn’t reawaken until a short time before sunset. The light through the window told him he had precious little time, but the healers would never let him leave in his condition.   
  


He fought to stand, his body battling him but his will stronger. The blue hedgehog staggered in naught but his trousers to the window, opening it and forcing his body to climb through it. It felt like everything from the last several days was crashing down on him at once, but he had to get out of the city. He tried to summon his speed, but very little of it came to his aid. A temporary spell had been placed on him to limit his preternatural ability so as not to exacerbate his wound even further. It wouldn’t matter in a short time though, since the bandages were going to rip off and the stitches likely torn even slightly out of his skin. He would deal with that issue when it came up; first he needed to get out of Anthem.

If the gods cared about his plight at all, they sent down a ray of hope to the blue hedgehog and his desperate pleas. Amelie was coming down the street and saw him struggling. She gasped, and ran to Sonic’s side, supporting him with her good arm.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” she asked in alarm, “You’re too hurt! That bolt did far more damage than we thought!”

It was true it had, though they both knew it had also been his claws that night. “Sunset...” he replied, pointing toward the sky. 

The shadows were long. They didn’t have much time left. He doubled over, leaning into her as the transformation’s warning pain flared within his body. Normally he could still move at this stage, but the wound and the magic affecting him in combination made it so much worse. His breathing was shallow, almost ragged. Evergreen eyes looked up at the Rose, pain and fear and worry swirling within their depths.

“Amelie...please...I can’t...do this on my own,” he begged, tears actually starting to bead in his eyes, “Can’t...let them see...They will kill me…I don’t...want to die like this...”

Her own eyes widened as she saw herself reflected in his, reflecting every word he’d said to her earlier. They tore through her like a knife, that ache in her heart from earlier returning in force. It was that ache that compelled her to shift the hedgehog onto her back. She still had one good hand after all.

“You better hang on,” she warned, “I know a secret way out, but I’ll need to run for it to make it in time.”

Though he could barely stand, his grip was secure. Amelie made sure, then she took off as fast as she could. Not everyone knew, but Anthem had escape tunnels in case the city was overrun and the guard and the Hunters couldn’t defend it. They hadn’t been used in decades, but Amelie had explored Anthem the first few weeks she was there, long before Sonic had ever shown up. She was too curious for her own good sometimes, and had stumbled on a tunnel that led out of the city to a beach far below the cliffs a few miles out after an accidental flip of an inconspicuous switch.

He was shaking by the time she reached the entrance while avoiding as many people as she possibly could. Sweat beaded on his brow and his jaw clenched so tight it actually hurt. Amelie could feel the tenseness in his body. His grip tightened almost to cutting off her air, but she couldn’t stop now.

“Easy Sonic…” she whispered soothingly, “We’ll be out of the city soon.”

“H...Hurry A-Amy…” he growled shakily through gritted teeth, “I-I can’t...hold it back…”

She gasped at the name he used. Not Amelie, but Amy. The Rose was shocked, but she picked up the pace into the tunnel, even as her legs burned for her to stop. She could feel his fur already growing, and it made her own stand on end just how close she was to getting hurt when he couldn’t control himself.

“Hang in there Sonic. Just a little longer.”

Tears were streaming down her face now as she desperately willed her own strength into her stride. It propelled her forward even as she couldn’t see. She could hear her footsteps echo off the walls, and it was enough for her ears to hear the waves bounce off the cavern walls and guide her forward.

“Please Mother Gaia,” she begged, “Just let me see this through…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ursula's not happy, but she's already got another devious plan forming to take revenge and take Sonic's mind. Amy is left to think about her feelings, eventually returning to Sonic only to find him in major trouble. Will she be able to help him escape Anthem in time? Stay tuned to find out!


	24. Chapter 24

The next few moments passed by quickly, yet somehow they felt like a lifetime.

Amy didn’t know how far she had run, but when he struggled in her grasp she had no choice but to let go. She heard Sonic’s body hit the earthen floor and she backed up until her back rested against the wall. She closed her eyes tight, turning away and covering them with her good arm. Even so, the sounds that came from the Wolf painted too clear of a picture in her head, and the howling that echoed soon after made her blood turn to ice.

“Is...i-is it over…?” she asked, daring to peek. 

Her eyes could not see his form, but glowing green embers stood out against the pitch black and an answering grunt told her he could no longer speak. She reached a hand out, trying to find her way along. With only the one and her adrenaline gone, she was having a much harder time finding her way. At one point she tripped, but a strong arm caught her and pulled her back to her feet before she could get hurt. It withdrew just as fast, as the ember-eyed owner backed away.

“Th-Thank you…” the pink hedgehog stammered. Her heart hammered in her chest, “C-Can we keep going? I-I don’t wish to b-be in the pitch black much longer.”

A low whimper sounded in the dark. Amy reached out, trying to find Sonic in the pitch black. Her breath caught in her throat when something soft pressed gently against her outstretched palm. Swallowing hard, the Huntress extended her hand further until she met resistance. Her hand sunk surprisingly far into his fur, and she couldn’t help running her fingers through it.

“It’s...s-so soft…” she said in amazement.

For a minute, she was almost entranced by it. Sonic leaned his head in as she stroked it, lupine ears folding back as his eyes closed. A soft rumbling soon came from his throat, snapping the girl back to reality. Her eyes widened in surprise, before, despite everything, she cracked a smile in the dark.

“Was...was that...w-were you just...purring?” she asked, unable to stifle a few giggles. How could such a monstrous looking beast be capable of something so innocent and cute?

Sonic made a noise like he was clearing his throat in embarrassment before his throat rumbled again, different this time. He butted his head against Amy’s palm before he lifted one of his hands and guided it down the side of his face, his neck, then shoulder and finally to his back. He couldn’t help a shudder wracking his body as her fingers brushed over his skin, and it took all he had to keep his breathing in check. His back end sat down like a dog’s, head looking over his shoulder as his eyes ever so slightly illuminated the woman’s face.

“Y-You want me to...climb on...l-like a horse…?” she asked, to which he gave a grunt that sounded like she was right. “W-Well...o-okay…” she replied hesitantly, “J-Just...b-be careful okay…? Y-You’re still injured…”

He made another sound of acknowledgement and carefully she climbed onto the beast’s back. It wasn’t unlike getting on a horse, but with no saddle and the fur was slicker. She had to lean forward against him, wrapping her good arm around his neck while her head was all but laying atop his. At least the fur was soft, and surprisingly warm.

“G-Go easy on me okay…?” she teased, though the nervousness still came through in her voice, “D-Don’t forget, I-I have a broken hand. I-I can’t hold on as well…”

He knew and he was indeed careful, but his pace was still far faster than her gait was. They reached the other end of the tunnel in no time. They were met with a clear sky full of stars and a moon shining bright and full. The pale round orb hung high as the two exited the cave. Amy had to squint briefly against the pale light, but her eyes soon adjusted. Sonic stopped and lowered himself, allowing her to safely disembark before he was back up on all fours again.

Amy headed toward the ocean where the calm waves lapped against the shore. Sonic followed hesitantly, keeping a distance both from the girl and from the water. He in fact had a deep fear of water, especially bodies of it as large as the ocean. The Rose stopped short of the damp sand, glancing back at the beast.

“Are you alright Sonic?” she asked, tilting her head slightly.

He shuddered, pointing out toward the sea with an uncomfortable look on his face. Her eyes followed his gesture toward the surf before looking back at him. It didn’t take long to understand.

“Oh...you’re… afraid of the ocean, aren’t you?” she asked, to which he nodded. She approached him, sitting down in the dry sand though staying a slight distance away. “I understand. Everyone has their fears. I’m...sure you could guess mine if you could talk now.”

He willed himself to edge up further, though not so close as to invade her personal space. The werebeast tilted his large head sadly, a whimper coming from him. He did understand, and he desperately wished he could do something to change it. 

He reached forward, drawing thick letters in the sand so she could still read them in the pale moonlight.

‘Not all of us are bad. Some beasts like me are just misunderstood.’

Amy frowned. “You and I are both Hunters. It’s our job to kill those beasts.”

He erased the message and scratched out a new one. ‘If they threaten innocent lives. Not all of them do.’

“How do you know that?” she asked. She realized what she asked a split second later and blushed, looking away.

He scratched a new message. ‘You already know how I do.’ A gutteral sound came from his throat as if he were laughing, startling the Huntress enough to look. ‘Some just try to survive, and some can learn to understand.’

“Oh? Like whom?”

He sighed. ‘That would take too long to explain,’ he wrote, ‘Maybe when the sun is up I can give a better example.’

“I’ll hold you to that,” she promised.

‘Don’t you always?’ he wrote, following with a throaty chuckle.

She read it and actually cracked a smile, and then her peel of laughter rang in the air like church bells, and it was one of the sweetest sounds Sonic could ever hear. His heart swelled and he longed to be close, but he knew it was a fool’s dream. 

What right did he have to even consider such thoughts? She was frightened of him anyway. Even if it didn’t show immediately, he could still tell. The way she tensed just slightly whenever he moved, the way she flinched if he got too close or he accidentally bore his fangs. Even as she laughed, there was a subtle undertone that she wasn’t entirely comfortable in his presence.

And by the gods, did it hurt. He didn’t want to admit it to himself, but it was getting harder and harder to deny that he was falling for her. As much as he felt, that he knew, he didn’t deserve love, he wasn’t as immune as he once thought. How could he prove it to her though, when he represented everything she hated in the world?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a cute little chapter of the two of them spending some time together while they wait the night out. More action stuff will surely come given the world they live in, but it's nice to take some time to rest and build relations as well. Plus, Sonic has a bit of reflection at the end there.


	25. Chapter 25

A few hours later, Sonic found himself awakening to droplets of rain on his face. At first he was confused, but as he opened his eyes he realized it was still dark out. He tried to sit up only to feel something shift slightly against him and groan as the object was disturbed. The beast froze in place as his gaze traveled toward the source, only to find Amy curled up asleep beside him. He sat there for a moment dumbfounded, until more water droplets hit his face. His eyes turned to the sky in time to see clouds heavy with rain. A sheet was headed right for them and they were about to be caught in it.

Sonic shifted the sleeping girl into his arms, holding her with one against his broad chest as he sank down and took off as fast as he could. He headed for the tunnel entrance just as the rain caught them both. He skidded inside, dripping wet and Amy sputtering awake. In her half-sleeping state she struggled and screamed, both hurting his ears and punching him in the jaw.

The beast yelped, dropping the girl by accident and backing away in his haste, rubbing his tender jaw. She looked at him with wide eyes.

“What happened, what’s going on?!” she demanded, equal parts angry and afraid.

He pointed toward the tunnel entrance where it was pouring so hard they could barely see beyond the entrance. Sonic shook himself off as best he could, grunting in annoyance at being wet. Amelie stood up, brushing herself off.

“I’m sorry Sonic,” she apologized, “I-I was just startled.”

He made another noise like he understood, since she couldn’t see. 

“I guess...we can’t go back out there,” Amy continued, looking out at the storm, “We should...probably head back now.”

She really didn’t want to. She was tired and it was such a long walk. The young woman jumped when she felt Sonic’s head suddenly bump gently against her arm. She flinched, but regardless he gently grasped her arm and led her to his back. She climbed on, holding on as she had before. He didn’t take off at a run this time like before. Honestly his wound was bothering him too much to run, and walking the tunnel back would at least pass the time.

So that was what he did. Both he and Amy were silent in whatever way they could communicate. Eventually he felt the Huntress go limp on his back, her soft breathing skating across his fur. Sonic couldn’t help letting out a quiet throaty chuckle. She’d actually fallen asleep, so either his back was comfortable or she really was that tired.

Either way, once he reached the entrance he sadly had to awake her up. She was groggy at first, but with a grunt he got her attention and guided him off his back and to the hidden door. After some fumbling around she found the switch, sneaking on through before closing it behind. Sonic waved before he got himself comfortable within the tunnel. No one knew he was there, save the Rose, so he could get a little more sleep before he snuck back to the healers at dawn.

~~~

Like he predicted he was chewed out for sneaking off all night in his condition. The healers were amazed he could even move, even moreso at how much better the wound was already looking. He sighed and gave them the story once again that he healed faster than most; nevertheless, his wounds were redressed and he wasn’t allowed to leave the city until he was healed. He was at least permitted to walk around, though he had to borrow some shoes until he could get new boots and wore a slightly baggy white tunic to cover the bandages up. No need to worry anyone after all.

Amy showed up as he was tucking the shirt in, dressed up in her new more casual outfit instead of her warrior’s garb.

“Might as well,” she told him with a shrug, “since I can’t leave the city either until my hand heals properly.”

“We could always enjoy the day,” Sonic suggested as they left the healer’s hut, “I’d like a bite to eat.”

“You always want food,” Amy teased.

Sonic chuckled. “Do you have any idea how much fuel it takes to...change every dawn and dusk? That alone takes massive energy, never mind my metabolism.”

“We’ll see,” she mused, “I’d wager you could still use a tour around the city, and I’d like to visit our new friend as well. Maybe we can get some food on the way.”

“You mean the horse?”

“I think I’ll name him Atlas.”

“Sounds like a fine name to me.”

They both shared a laugh as Amy led the way through the city. He was surprisingly well versed in where things were, though considering he had been there at least a few weeks it was to be expected. Amy should’ve known better, but there were a few places he didn’t recognize, like the library, and the alchemy shop, and a few other places as well. They got breakfast at Sonic’s favorite tavern and then she showed him where some of the shopping stores were; stalls that sold produce and a few other things, and the butcher’s shop. Demitri was out loading some packaged meat onto a carriage and waved to Amy. She smiled in return, and Sonic hurriedly ushered the girl along. Amy rolled her eyes, but allowed herself to be hurried until they were around the corner and out of the butcher boy’s sight.

“Careful there Sonic, your jealousy is showing,” she teased.

He nearly froze in his tracks, looking away to hide a blush trying to form on his face. “I’m not jealous,” he vehemently denied, “I just don’t like the way he looks at you. To him you’re a piece of meat, and I don’t mean the kind he cuts up.”

“Suuuuuure,” she replied, long and drawn out, but decided it was better to drop the subject for now, “Let’s go and visit Atlas. I’d love to try grooming him.”

“I’m not cleaning out his stall,” Sonic interjected.

Amy punched him lightly in the arm, though he was rubbing the sore spot afterward. “The stable boy does that not you,” she replied, “We should get him to trust us though. I’d like to keep him. Boarding might be expensive, but it beats hiring a carriage.”

“I can take you anywhere faster than a horse can.”

Amy was surprised by the statement, but she responded in kind regardless. “You struggle holding me and my hammer in the daylight, never mind holding extra equipment like rations, health potions and extra clothing. You’re not a pack mule. Granted, a horse isn’t either, but a strong stallion like that can carry a lot of weight before it falters.”

Sonic was left grumbling to himself as they reached the stables near the southern gate. The pair of hedgehogs were led to the back paddock where the horse was being kept. Like the rest it was a rather good size, enough for two or three horses comfortably, nevermind how many people.

Sonic held the gate open for Amy and was left to latch it while she approached the war horse. The animal looked at her warily, but a soothing note from her helped calm it down. When Sonic approached however, it neighed loudly and reared up in fear. Amy grabbed the reins and used her strength to pull it down.

“Sonic back up!” she instructed, “He’s afraid of you!”

The cerulean warrior in question furrowed his brow but did as she asked.

“Shhh… Easy Atlas,” she cooed, strong-arming the horse until it settled down. She reached up, gently rubbing the animal’s nose. “Sonic won’t hurt you like this. He’s a friend.”

“Never was a big fan myself,” Sonic admitted, “They scare far too easily and are incredibly noisy.”

“Don’t say that Sonic, we’re trying to get him to like us!” Amy hissed. 

She finally got the horse to calm down and sighed. She grabbed a large handful of hay before giving it to the cerulean hedgehog. She then took him gently by the wrist and led him slowly closer to the horse.

“Take it slow,” she whispered, guiding him, “Show him you don’t have any ill-intent. Horses are considered prey animals, so it’s possible he can sense that...other side of you. Show him he doesn’t have to fear you.”

Sonic wasn’t quite convinced, but he let the Rose guide him. The horse was incredibly wary of him, especially when their eyes locked. He broke eye contact and instead stared at his hand.

“That’s it Atlas,” Amy cooed, “See? He’s a friend.”

The Wolf’s ears folded back, but he remained silent as she encouraged the horse to come closer. Sonic felt its hot breath on his hand, sniffing the hay before it took a nibble of it. He blinked, and Amy guided his other hand slowly to the beast’s nose.

“Here, try and stroke his snout. Just be gentle,” she coached.

He did as he was told, and though the horse flinched it didn’t pull away as it took more hay out of the blue hedgehog’s hand. Sonic was left speechless while Amy moved away to get a bucket and brush to start washing Atlas down.

“That’s a good boy,” she cooed to the horse, “I bet this feels good.”

Sonic eventually backed away and let Amy do her thing, sitting down and observing in silence. She fawned over the large creature like it was her baby and he couldn’t help admiring how tender she was with the beast of burden. He felt a pain in his chest which surprised him, and a wish that she might one day feel the same toward him.

_ ‘But...what right do I have?’  _ he asked himself,  _ ‘She despises the other half of me… I could never court her… Who would want to be with a monster…’ _

The pain in his chest intensified at that thought, and he clutched at the spot while Amy was turned away. He stared at his lap, trying to fathom how he’d let her get under his skin like this. He’d never felt in quite such a way about anyone. Every other girl was easy enough to keep at arms’ length, but Amy; well, Sonic didn’t know how or why he’d let her get as close as she was getting lately. Maybe it had something to do with her learning about what he was, and what he’d told her, or rather wrote, last night was, after all, true. Not all monsters were bad.

Maybe he could show her. He could perhaps take her to the night stalker he’d spared, even healed. Not right away of course, but in time. He could start slow, maybe even help her wipe the slate clean, somehow. For now, he would enjoy the moment.

“You certainly have a way with animals,” he said before quickly realizing he was, in a way, lumping himself into that description, “I-I mean, like with horses…”

Amy smiled and giggled while Sonic trailed off and awkwardly adjusted the collar of his borrowed shirt. “Thank you,” she said softly, “I have an uncle in another city that owned a horse farm. He gave me a pretty painted mare called Delilah and I used to board her there free-of-charge to my family. He lived quite close to my parents and I, so I was able to visit often. She was a small thing compared to Atlas, but she was so sweet and docile.”

“What...what happened to her?” Sonic asked.

“I-- Wolves got her…” she replied sadly, “I was maybe fourteen or so at the time. Sometimes I still miss her. She was one of the best horses I’d ever ridden.”

“I’m sorry Amy,” Sonic apologized, “I wish I could’ve been there. I wouldn’t have let them…”

“Thank you, that’s...kind of you,” she replied. Amy looked back at him with a meaningful smile. “But the past can’t be changed. I’m much stronger now than I was then. I’ll do right by Atlas.”

Sonic found himself standing up and approaching the girl. He put his hands on her shoulders, resting his head next to hers. “I’m sure you will,” he said, “And I promise, I’ll do anything within my own power to help you.”

Amy leaned into Sonic, dropping the brush into the water bucket before she put her hand over one of Sonic’s. “Thank you...that means a lot.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes still can't leave the city on healer's orders so they decide to spend a leisurely day and visit Amy's new horse. He now has a name, Atlas, and Amy decides to get it to trust them more. Sonic has a bit of a harder time earning it, so he takes a step back, mulling over his feelings while Amy fawns over Atlas. Sonic is starting to realize he might be falling for Amy, but considering what he is, and her hatred to any sort of werebeast, he doesn't believe he deserves her, or deserves love. Let's hope things start to change in future chapters.
> 
> Feel free to leave comments. We'd love to hear your thoughts, theories, and hopes for future chapters! Are there any characters you want or hope to see make an appearance? Do you have predictions for what might happen in the coming chapters? Feel free to share!


	26. Chapter 26

In the near week since the pair of hedgehogs had arrived back in Anthem, Sonic’s bolt wound had healed over quite well. Of course it left some scarring, but at this point he was so covered in them it might as well be adding to a collection. Amy’s hand was doing much better as well. With the aid of magic and a prescription of a certain mix of potions once a day, her hand was on the mend. It was still quite tender, but she could move it without nearly as much pain. She was even allowed to start doing some of the easier ranked missions such as herb gathering to ease her back into the fold. Sonic was always right there with her.

That didn’t stop him from taking night time jobs however. Amy found herself desperately wishing she could go with him. Things became surprisingly boring when he was away, and the Huntress found herself longing to go with him on his hunts. It surprised her, considering he was a skinchanger and she hated them otherwise.

Although, perhaps she could make one exception. He was after all so careful with her. He was stronger than her by a long shot as a beast, but he treated her so delicately, almost with reverence. Amy smiled to herself while she was in her room, tucking her bangs to the side.

“He’s having quite an effect on me…” she whispered to herself as she did her braid up carefully so as not to hurt her hand, “It’s strange…”

She still had a goal to complete, a vendetta to see through. Perhaps though, if she made it out the other side, she could allow her heart to open to love again. That would be a long time coming however and she sighed. She didn’t even know where to start looking anymore now that any leads to Anthem had come up dry.

Quills done up and dressed in her usual Huntress outfit, Amy left the inn. She hadn’t seen Sonic since the previous day. She knew why but she always found herself missing him regardless. She just hoped he was getting enough sleep. He always seemed like he was on the move recently, and it worried her.

Speaking of, the cerulean warrior with the wild evergreen eyes skidded to a stop when he spotted her. Backtracking, he caught up as she was on her way to pick up a bite to eat at the local bakery.

“Hey Amy,” he greeted, a smile actually passing his lips.

“Oh, hello Sonic,” she greeted, a light blush dusting her cheeks as her smile lit up her eyes, “Where have you been? I haven’t seen you all morning.”

“Just finished a job actually,” he replied as the two of them got a bag of jelly-filled danishes. He reached in and snatched one, snacking on it while she listened in interest. “And looking in on some leads.”

“Leads? For what might I ask?” she inquired curiously.

He ran his other hand through his mess of quills. “Well, I want to help you, you know?” he asked, “You’re so committed to this...vendetta thing and I can’t seem to steer you from it. So, I figured maybe finding closure might be the next best thing.” He snatched a second danish with lightning speed before she’d even finished her first. “You remember that witch we dealt with before?” He felt his body go tense before he cleared his throat and calmed back down.

“What...what about her?” Amy asked.

“I have a hunch she might possibly have something to do with it, based on some of the things she said before…” he replied, his voice lowering for her ears alone, “If...if it really was skinchangers, and she was in control of them, then it might be possible to trace her activity back through the years.

Amy’s eyes widened in surprise. “H-Have you...h-had any success?” she asked, a guarded hope blooming in her chest.

“Not much,” he admitted, “That witch covers her tracks pretty well. But I have been doing some research, looking for incidents where certain beasts act out of the ordinary versus their regular behavior. They aren’t as common as people might think, but they do happen, and often there’s a magical origin behind the phenomenon, not unlike when that horde attacked Anthem before, and there’s usually some sort of pattern. Based on where you...told me it happened, I think it might be possible to narrow it down to where the pattern leads up until more recently, at least within a few months.”

He steered her toward a table on the edge of town square, seating the girl down before he pulled a folded map from a small bag on his person. It was marked up a lot and one town to the northeast was boldly circled.

“I think something is going to happen in or around this town here, called Sonata,” he continued, “I’ve been through there a few times in my life, though not for quite awhile.”

“You have?” she asked curiously.

“Yes, my family was nomadic after my parents and my aunt were killed, and I’ve been much the same on my own,” he replied quickly, “Now focus. I’ve spent the last several evenings and a few nights learning all I could about some of the incidents and tracing them through the last five or so years. The most recent ones follow a pattern leading to here.” He pointed at the circled town. “I have no idea if the culprit is around here still, but it’s a start.”

The pink hedgehog’s mouth dropped open, her eyes wide as saucers. “Oh Sonic, that’s amazing!” she exclaimed, unable to stop herself from hugging him, “I didn’t know you were doing this for me!”

He tensed at the touch, but he was starting to grow more accustomed to the hugging. She always seemed to do it when she got excited. “I didn’t want to tell you until I was sure. I need to investigate it a bit further, but it looks promising.”

“When are we going?”

He looked at her. “It’s a two day trip by horse, even a war horse like Atlas, and your hand is still injured.”

“I don’t care,” Amy replied, frowning, “I’ve been chasing this for years and you’re dangling a lead right in front of me. I have to follow through on it.”

“I know, and it worries me. You’ve spent all this time searching.” He put a hand to her cheek, his fingers gently twisting into her quills. “I just...don’t want to see you lose yourself to it, to not be able to move on and live your life.”

Amelie leaned into his touch, her hand resting over his. Tears swam in her eyes, yet she smiled. “This is my life though.”

His other hand reached up and gently brushed her bangs aside. “It doesn’t have to be.”

“It’ll haunt me until I see it through. The nightmares will plague me until I get my vengeance and find some measure of peace. You can’t stop me from following it.

He sighed, a sad note in his voice. “I know, but, I have to try don’t I?” he asked, “You’re too precious to lose.” He actually pulled her close this time and hugged her against him. “I know I can’t stop you, but… I can at least make sure you don’t do it alone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Both are doing much better now, and things are taking an interesting turn! A new lead in Amy's quest for vengeance, provided by Sonic no less? And a new town introduced into this world. What might it be like? Will Amy find what she's been looking for? Stay tuned to find out!
> 
> Feel free to leave comments! We'd love to hear your thoughts, theories, and hopes for future chapters! Are there any characters you want or hope to see make an appearance? Do you have predictions for what might happen in the coming chapters? Feel free to share!


	27. Chapter 27

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning, this chapter has a scene of attempted non-consensual rape (Sonic isn't the perpetrator).

Later that day, the two hedgehogs found themselves geared up with new saddlebags filled with rations, water, health potions, sleeping tents and some other supplies. Atlas was saddled up and Sonic would be running alongside the horse for the most part.

“How did I let you talk me into this?” he asked.

“Because I’m very persuasive,” Amy replied from up on her horse whom she led at a casual trot toward the northern gate, “Plus you already told me you weren’t letting me go alone.”

“Aye, that I did,” Sonic replied with a sigh and a small smirk, “Sometimes my mouth is far too large for my own good.”

The two of them shared a good laugh. Once they reached the northern gate the Huntress snapped the reigns and Atlas broke into a gallop. Sonic ran right alongside them, easily able to keep pace with the large creature. No more words passed between them for quite some time, only the rush of wind and the sound of galloping hooves on the worn stone road that drowned the softer footfalls of Sonic’s boots out. A smile had plastered itself on his face that refused to quit, and likewise Amy found herself giddy with joy as the wind whipped past lifting both her cape and braided quills alike behind her.

It wasn’t until sunset that she noticed Sonic starting to falter. She pulled on the reins, bringing Atlas to a halt just ahead of the blue Hunter. He looked like he was struggling to stand and she turned her viridian eyes upon the horizon. Dusk loomed and she looked at him.

“Let’s camp off the side of the road for the night,” she suggested, “You go...do whatever you need to do. I’ll start setting up, get Atlas taken care of, and see if I can get a fire going.”

Sonic gave Amy a grateful smile and nod before he zoomed into the nearby trees. Altas was scared by the noise, but the Huntress quickly got him under control and tied the reins to a nearby tree. She set to work pulling out a tent while Atlas took to grazing. She gathered enough sticks for a fire and dug a small pit out to set it up in, getting it lit before she finished setting up the tent with a small roll inside for her to lay on since she assumed Sonic would want to sleep outside. She pulled out a large waterskin, pouring some in a tray for the horse before setting it down by the tent and then setting up a foldable cast iron skillet with legs and throwing a few slabs of salted meat over it. 

By the time everything was set up and the meats were sizzling, a haunting howl broke the still air, sending a chill up Amy’s spine and causing Atlas to whinny in fright. She got up to soothe the horse.

“It’s okay Atlas, it’s only Sonic,” she crooned.

As if on cue, a large beast came into view. It was indeed Sonic, carrying his belongings under one large arm with an apologetic look on his face.

Amy sighed and offered a small smile. “I’m never going to get used to hearing that noise,” she mused.

He gave a throaty chuckle, setting his things beside the tent while Amy sat back down by the fire. He joined her a small ways away, eyes zeroing right in on the meat. Amy poked at it with a poker and the sizzling sound and scent made his mouth positively water.

“I hope you don’t mind it cooked,” she said, “It’s salted too for preservation’s sake. Usually that would make it dry but I’ve found that adding a little water to it several times while it cooks brings some of the juiciness back.”

Sonic swallowed a pool of saliva in his mouth and chuckled. He absolutely did not mind at all. It smelled enchanting, as meat always did to him cooked or not especially in his nightly form. 

When it finished cooking, Amy put the smallest piece of meat on a plate for herself, and the other two on a plate for the werebeast. “I have water if you want any,” she said, patting the waterskin, “Just...point to it or something if you want it.”

They ate in silence after that. Sonic’s ears folded back in contentment at the taste. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had cooked anything for him. Sure there were the restaurants and the bakeries and whatever else in the towns they visited, but it wasn’t quite the same. He found himself tearing up at memories of home cooked meals when he was young. It was just within his family, but they had been so close. His mother and aunt would always make huge meals for all of them every night, even when most of the family were stuck as beasts. They’d cook all kinds of meaty dishes from the successful hunts Sonic’s father and uncles would go on. When they were gone, his youngest cousin tried to take her mother’s place, but she’d never got the chance to learn how to cook properly, and it was always so hard when she could barely control the strength she had at night or even walk on two feet. Even Sonic still struggled with it sometimes; he was just naturally top heavy in his current form and it was easier to walk on all fours.

Amy noticed the tears in the glow of the fire light and tilted her head to face Sonic, a worried look on her face. “Are you okay? You seem...sad.”

Sonic froze before he hastily wiped the tears away. He smiled and shook it off, as if trying to tell her not to worry about it. The Rose frowned slightly, but she wasn’t going to get anything out of him now, but there was one thing she needed to tell him.

“Sonic, if anything’s ever wrong, you...you can tell me okay?” she said, “You don’t have to, but...I’ll lend an ear, or...I suppose an eye to read sometimes, if you need it.”

He stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded and touched at the same time. In the end, he could only manage a nod. They ate the rest of their meal in silence. Amy put the fire out and cleared her things away before she bade the beast good night and disappeared into her tent. Sonic kept his eyes averted from the lantern inside and decided he’d patrol the camp for a bit before finding a comfortable place he could sleep.

~~~

Several hours later, in the wee hours of the morning, Amy awoke to rustling and panicked whinnies outside her tent. She rubbed her eyes groggily, searching for her lantern.

“Sonic…?” she asked sleepily, finally locating the lantern and twisting the knob for a brighter flame. 

She saw shadows moving outside, more than one. Atlas was making a lot of noise and the girl’s eyes flew open. She grabbed her hammer with her good hand and hurried out of the tent in her nightgown.

“Who’s out here?!” she demanded, but as soon as she exited the tent two pairs of hands grabbed her, causing her to drop her hammer. “H-Hey! Let me go!”

“We got ‘er boss!” one of them yelled.

A rather large bear with a light colored pelt walked into view with his hands folded behind his back. “Well done,” he said. He leaned in, cupping Amy’s muzzle with one hand which forced her lips to pucker. “You were a hard lass to track down my dear, but with enough patience we finally found you.”

“W-What do you want with me?!” Amy demanded, struggling to get out of the tight hold.

The bear’s thumb stroked Amy’s cheek. “It’s not what I want love, but our employer. Can’t imagine why, but she hired us to capture you.”

The young woman kicked the bear in the shin, causing him to shout in pain and let go of Amy. She spit in his face and tried to fight her way out of the iron hold, but more men grabbed her and held her down. The bear glared at her, wiping his face off. 

“Stupid wench,” he growled. He smacked Amy across the face hard, enough to leave a mark and cause her to see stars. “We were instructed to take you alive, but she never said we couldn’t have some fun first.”

His men held her arms and legs down while the bear loomed over her. He tore open Amy’s gown, grinning darkly to himself. The girl screamed as the bear started to feel her nude body up.

Before he could do more, he found himself yanked off the woman and thrown several feet into a tree. Two necks were snapped soon after, the bodies tossed aside like dolls. Two more found their arms broken and sharp claws tearing at their flesh as they were picked up and thrown a fair distance away. The bear got up, seeing two of his men dead and another two lying unconscious in the road.

“Who dares!” he demanded, only to be met with the eyes of a monster.

Sonic stood protectively over Amy as she hugged her ripped nightgown around her, tears streaming down her face. A fearsome snarl was plastered on his face, murderous intent in his eyes with his upper lip peeled back and exposing dripping fangs. The bear did a double take, backing up several paces. 

“W-What the hell is that?!” he shouted.

Sonic roared, not giving the bandit another second as he lunged.

“Men, attack! Kill the beast!” the bear shouted as he drew his cutlass. 

His remaining men, about five in total, drew their swords and surrounded the beast. The leader swung, missing Sonic by mere inches. He backed up only to see another swing at him in his peripheral. He caught the sword in his hand and though it sliced his palm it bled very little. Sonic used his strength to bend the bandit’s arm back, causing him to cry in pain as it dislocated. A second came from the side, but Sonic pulled the first around and threw him into the second, sending both sprawling into the dirt. He didn’t see the third from behind until a sword sliced into his back. He roared, shifting his weight onto his hands and kicking his legs much like a horse. The strength behind it knocked the wind right out of the outlaw while the claws tore his torso up. 

Two came for him at once. Sonic caught one the face of one of them with a hand and the arm of another between his fangs. He bit down hard, tearing into the skin and drawing blood while he crushed the face of the one in his hand. The one with the mangled arm in his mouth screamed in utter agony and the beast grabbed him as well. He threw both toward the leader, who ducked.

“Filthy beast!” the bear yelled, “I’ll wipe you off the face of Rhapsody!”

He swung a diagonal slice at Sonic, who dodged, before bringing the sword back around in a horizontal arc. He managed to get the beast’s shoulder deep enough to draw a trickle of blood, but it only made Sonic angrier. He ducked a third swing and tackled the leader to the ground. He then picked the bear up by the throat, standing up to his full height and holding the bear even higher. The werebeast’s claws dug into the bandit thug’s throat, drawing blood as it crushed the bear’s windpipe.

“Sonic stop!” Amy cried, “That’s enough! Please!”

Sonic looked back at Amy, a ferocious scowl still on his face. Seeing her so scared and concerned caused his gaze to soften, at least enough that his scowled fell into a frown. He looked back up at the bear before his grip loosened, dropping the man to the ground in a coughing heap. Sonic sank back to all fours, a deep growl coming from his throat as he returned to Amy’s side.

The bear struggled to get to his feet, shaking as he did. “This...this isn’t over bitch!” he shouted, “For you or your pet!”

Sonic roared, full of animalistic rage as it ever had been before. The men still alive grabbed the corpses of their fallen cohorts and dragged them away as quickly as possible while trying to catch up to their horses.

The beast turned to Amy, who was curled up frightened as a child. His expression softened considerably before he went to his pile of things and pulled out his worn but mended cape. He wrapped it around her before he lifted her into his arms. She didn’t fight him as he sat down with her on his lap, his large arms forming a protective cage around her. She turned into his chest, her body shivering as she sobbed. Sonic felt his heart ache. He’d never seen anyone break down like she was, especially not someone so strong. He couldn’t blame her though, she had every right, and he would be there for her. He would hold her together even as she felt like she was about to break, helping her weather the storm raging inside until the clouds parted and the sun shone down again. 

_ ‘Whoever sent those pigs is going to pay,’  _ he thought to himself.

~~~

“Oh what fun,” Ursula sang with a wicked grin.

The witch cackled, sitting atop her dragon and stroking its scales while her crystal ball floated in front of her. She watched everything go down and it brought her absolute and utter joy. It was she who had sent the thugs without giving them prior knowledge about the beast. She wanted to test what lengths he’d go to in order to protect the girl.

“I wasn’t sure how strong the boy’s resolve would be,” she sighed, “I’m glad to see he proved me wrong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes are on their way to a town called Sonata, but it's a long journey even on horseback so they stop and make camp for the night. Unfortunately they are visited by some very unwelcome and dangerous guests. Also we learn the name of their world: Rhapsody.
> 
> Feel free to leave comments! We'd love to hear your thoughts, theories, and hopes for future chapters! Are there any characters you want or hope to see make an appearance? Do you have predictions for what might happen in the coming chapters? Feel free to share!


	28. Chapter 28

Amy cried herself to sleep in the beast’s embrace. She entwined her fingers into his thick fur, refusing to leave the protective cage he provided. Sonic kept her close, remaining in a light doze the rest of the night until dawn’s warning pain jolted him awake. He attempted to move the woman onto the grass, but she refused to budge as her hold grew tighter. He could have easily detached her were it not for the fact large clumps of his fur would be ripped out with it, so he let her stay.

He untwined his large arms from around her carefully, digging them into the dirt on either side of him. He grit his teeth so tightly the fangs dug into his gums, threatening to draw blood as he tried not to make a lot of noise. His fur started to recede as everything inside him started to shrink and shift back into place. Fingers gouged into the earth as he returned to his daytime body whilst the beast went to sleep.

When the pain subsided, he opened his eyes to find that the top of Amy’s head was now in his face. He couldn’t help breathing in her cherry-and-roses scent and it made his body grow warm, especially his face.

“Amy…” he called, trying incredibly hard to keep his voice calm, “Amy, wake up.”

“Mmmm, dun wanna…” she groaned, “Five more minutes…” 

Sonic reached a hand up and shook her shoulder. “Amy please…” he begged, unable to keep his face from going bright red, and his ears along with it, “I need to get dressed…”

He shook her again and the woman’s eyes finally fluttered open. She looked up at Sonic with a sleepy smile. “G’mornin’...” she sighed.

“Amy, please, move…” he begged as he averted his eyes as best he could, “I need to get dressed…”

It took her a moment to process what was happening before her eyes flew open and her face enflamed brighter than his. She scrambled off of his lap, averting her eyes as she held the cloak close, disappearing in a blur into her tent. Sonic swallowed a huge lump in his throat as he swiftly grabbed his things and hightailed it into the woods.

The Hunter returned a short time later fully clothed with his sword on his hip. He rested a hand over the hilt, finally getting a chance to see just what sort of carnage he’d wrought the previous night. He scowled at the blood he saw spattered about, knowing what he’d done. Those men had deserved it though, and thinking about what the leader had nearly done to Amy made the hackles on the back of his neck rise. 

“Sonic?” Amy said a moment later, “Are you alright? Your back, it’s injured.”

He snapped out of the momentary rage and turned to Amy, who was now fully clothed. “I’m fine,” he promised, approaching her. He knelt down in front of her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. “More importantly, are you alright?” 

She stared into his gaze with wide eyes. He was genuinely worried about her, desperate to know that she was okay. Her cheeks blushed pink, but she couldn’t look away from his intense gaze. “I’m alright as well.”

Relief washed over his features and he couldn’t help embracing the girl. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, “I should have stayed closer. I didn’t sense anyone in the woods and I ended up falling asleep a bit of a ways off…”

Amy returned the hug, running her hand through Sonic’s quills as she rubbed the back of his head. “Shh, Sonic...it’s okay. It’s okay. There’s nothing to forgive,” she promised, “You stopped those men before they could...violate me more than they did… I could never repay you for that.” Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. “Thank you so much.”

Sonic hugged the girl close, a dark gaze on the sky. If he ever found out who was responsible, he’d follow through on his promise. He wasn’t going to let something like that happen to Amy again.

~~~

The rest of the trip was much less eventful, though Sonic stayed much closer to the camp during the second night. By the morning of the next day, they had finally arrived at the city of Sonata.

Unlike Anthem, Sonata didn’t have any natural barriers. It was completely surrounded by a high wall, with a huge moat surrounding it. Drawbridges spanned said moat at each of the four cardinal directions with guards patrolling outside among a few farms.

Sonic and Amy took the road that led into the southern portion of the city. Atlas was boarded at the stable just within, leaving the two of them to find an inn that Amy could stay at while they went over Sonic’s findings on the map and where the next strange attack might happen next, even possibly went.

Sonata was quite big, rivaling Anthem in size. Like Anthem, the town hall sat at the heart of the city, but it looked more like a castle than not. The streets led out from the center like a compass rose; north, south, east, and west leading to the drawbridges, as well as the directions in between branching out. Other streets connected like spider webs, the main marketplace surrounding town hall and the square where the buildings were tallest then gradually working out toward more residential and smaller buildings with some shops interspersed between. 

After asking for directions, the two found an inn that had plenty of vacancy. They ordered a couple’s suite so no one would be suspicious of why Sonic ordered a room then never used it and it was cheaper. After dropping off any unnecessary supplies in the room, the pair of hedgehogs decided to grab something to eat. They took a back booth and, after ordering something, unrolled Sonic’s map on the table.

“Okay,” he began, pointing to a dot closest to Sonata though it was still several miles off, “This last strange attack happened about a few weeks ago.” His finger followed an invisible line that connected several other dots all leading to where the attack had happened to Amy’s carriage about five years prior. “Each dot further out is an older attack.” His finger followed the line back. “You notice there’s a pattern, and this includes the one that happened in Anthem with the horde before. They’re getting more frequent.” His voice lowered. “If that witch is indeed behind all of the strange phenomenon, or at least has some influence in it, then she’s either getting incredibly bold, or trying to draw something out.”

Amy looked at Sonic with worry pulling at her features. “Do...Do you think she’s...after you…?” she whispered.

“Maybe…” he replied quietly, “Or others like me… You know how strong I get at night. Plus, the fact she can just...pull it out during the day…” He shivered a little at the memory. “Can you imagine commanding an army of those…? All she needs is to control them, and there’s not much that could stand against them… Strong, incredibly durable, resistant to pain, quick healing that can probably be augmented by magic… Some can even infect others… Not I, but certain types can.”

He was shaking now. Amy put a supportive hand on the blue Hunter’s shoulder. “Don’t worry Sonic, I won’t let that witch do that to you again,” she promised.

He smiled. “That...means a lot,” he admitted, “I...don’t know what I would have done, had you not been there Amy.”

“I’d do it again, if I had to.”

Sonic blushed at those words and Amy did the same. The two looked away from one another. The blue hedgehog cleared his throat, awkwardly rolling the map up as their orders arrived.

“W-Well, in any case, let’s eat. I’m starving.”

“Nothing new there.”

Sonic nearly choked on his food, trying not to laugh. It wasn’t like she was wrong, but it never failed to make him chuckle lately. He forced it down, blushing from his cheeks to his ear tips. Amy couldn’t help laughing herself. Her own face turned a bright red and as her own ears started to join, she suddenly pulled her hood up over her head in embarrassment. Sonic blinked in confusion, scooting closer and pulling it back down.

“Now why are you doing that?” he asked with a tilted head and raised brow, “You shouldn’t hide that pretty face of yours.”

She bit her lower lip and looked away, fidgeting with the end of her braid. “Old habit…” she admitted shyly.

He laughed softly. “I suppose we all have them. Still, I think this is one you should break. I’d rather see your face than it shadowed by the hood.”

“You’re surprisingly sweet, when you want to be,” Amy said once her blush and her heart calmed down.

“Heh, I have my moments,” the blue Hunter replied, “Helping to raise my cousins was bound to have some effect.”

“Oh? Helped raise them?” she asked curiously.

Sonic leaned back, twirling his fork in his food thoughtfully before he put whatever stuck to the fork in his mouth and ate it. “Yeah. My...my uncle that got shot didn’t make it, so it was just my oldest uncle left to raise all of us. He had about five kids at the time, plus me after my parents were killed. As the oldest, I started to help raise them, and when three of them were girls, I had to learn some kind of tact when they cried. It’s not the same cheering them up as it was cheering the boys up.”

“Were…?” Amy hesitantly pressed.

Sonic’s eyes closed halfway, his ears falling sadly. “I’m...not ready to share that story right now. Not here. Maybe when it’s just the two of us, but, not now. Not here.”

It was Amy’s turn to put a supportive hand on his shoulder. “I understand. If you’re ever ready to tell me, I’m all ears.” She hugged him and planted a small kiss on his cheek before she scooted back to her plate.

Sonic sat there dumbfounded, his hand finding its way to his cheek, which had turned warm again. 

Right, when he was ready…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After another day, Amy and Sonic finally make it to Sonata. They find a place to stay during their time and somewhere to eat and talk about when that next attack might occur. Things get a little personal, but Sonic isn't quite ready to share. Poor guy. Here's hoping his own wounds can be healed while he helps Amy mend hers.
> 
> Feel free to leave comments! We'd love to hear your thoughts, theories, and hopes for future chapters! Are there any characters you want or hope to see make an appearance? Do you have predictions for what might happen in the coming chapters? Feel free to share!


	29. Chapter 29

They spent the next few days scoping out the city, learning its layout, the goings on within the walls, nearby monster activity. It was mostly quiet save for a few jobs here and there. Being as big as it was, Sonata had many Hunters and Huntresses of its own, so Sonic and Amy found themselves lacking as far as excuses to go and find monsters. They had to stick to the gathering jobs mostly. 

Sonic did have the advantage of the night time however. He could sneak out every night, had to. They never closed the drawbridges except in dire circumstances. Even Sonata had night time jobs and he could use them as an excuse to do some searching and possibly even use his were-form to try and draw out whatever or whoever was planning the next attack. He was sure it would happen soon, and somewhere close to the city, but he couldn’t be sure of when exactly. 

They just had to be patient.

A week into their stay, things started to pay off. Rumors had started to circulate about unusual activity in the woods a couple days prior. At Amy’s suggestion, Sonic had started being just a little extra conspicuous that a possible werebeast was in the area, maybe more. He left partially eaten carcasses laying out where they would be purposely found, deep gouges in trees as if marking territory, bits of shed fur lying about, haunting howls that shouldn’t be around the town. It was starting to get warmer anyway, and his nightly face always started shedding as summer approached. It was embarrassing, but it was handy in this case. They still had those werebeast books that had been liberated from Lunis weeks before; one of them had all sorts of signs that signified that werebeasts were possibly in an area. He did all those things and more to ensure that people would take notice, because it would draw attention. 

True, it might draw the wrong sort of attention. The last thing neither he nor Amy wanted was for lycanthrope hunters to show up, a select class of Hunters that specifically hunted down skinchangers like Sonic, usually gifted in magic and able to track them down no matter which face they wore. There weren’t actually many that existed, but the Lone Wolf still needed to be careful to a degree so as not to get caught. He had to admit though, if only to himself, that the plan was kind of fun.

The next afternoon, while Sonic and Amy were eating lunch, a cloaked figure strode into the inn’s restaurant. Two figures trailed behind them, almost like bodyguards. He took a seat at the bar with each of his companions on either side. Amy pointed the stranger out.

“That looks like a Hunter,” she whispered.

Sonic glanced over. “Yeah,” he agreed, “I don’t recognize them though.”

The blue hedgehog tried not to stare while he tried to figure out who the stranger was. All he could really discern was that they were a mage of some sort, based on the staff they carried, and the companions with them were either bodyguards or perhaps thralls. 

The stranger’s cloaked head turned toward Sonic, and he felt his blood suddenly turn to ice in his veins. He couldn’t see the face, but he felt eyes boring into his very being, like they could see deep inside him. He hurriedly finished what was left of his meal.

“Come Amy, let’s go,” he said, standing up.

“But I haven’t even finished my--”

“Take it to go.”

The Wolf stood up, leaving the pay and a tip while he hurried Amy out the door. She barely got to finish her food before they were out the door.

“What’s the big idea Sonic?” she demanded as they left the restaurant, “I wasn’t finished.”

“I don’t like the look of that Hunter,” he replied, surprising the woman that he was clearly shaken up, “Something about them is….just wrong. Please, let’s just get away from here.”

“Should we get a job to pass the time?” she suggested.

“Sure,” he replied as they started heading toward town hall.

“Any suggestions? Most of the day jobs are taken by now.”

Sonic ran a hand through his mess of quills. “Let’s...take a night job. Together.”

Amy gasped. “Are you serious?!”

The blue warrior flinched a little at the level of noise. “Shh,” he urged, “Don’t let the whole of Rhapsody know.” His own voice fell lower. “Yes, I mean the two of us. A night job gives us a reason to be outside the city while I’m stuck as the...other thing. I think I might be close to drawing something out - a, well, you know… Anyway, maybe, if I’m right, and they are...the beasts responsible, you might recognize them. It might be possible to capture them and interrogate them, provided they’re not under a spell’s control. It might be possible to break it, like you did for me, though it would have to be done differently.”

The Rose’s eyes positively lit up. “Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” 

She grabbed Sonic’s arm, practically dragging him all the way to town hall. It wasn’t so easy to get out of her iron grip, but eventually he managed to make her let go. His arm was left feeling sore though, so to get her back he lifted her bridal style without warning and raced the rest of the way to the heart of the city. Of course she screamed, but he dodged her swing like he always did and laughed. She couldn’t help joining in as well. Once they settled down the two of them went inside to see what night time jobs were available.

~~~

The pair already completed the job an hour after sunset. It had been to go and investigate a cave some nocturnal creature was using as a base to attack travelers, but apparently the report had been wrong and it was a den of rabid wolves. They were badly sick and starving, and it had been kinder to put them out of their misery. Between the two of them, the Hunter and Huntress dispatched the pack without any injury to themselves. They’d return in the morning to turn the job in and would spend the rest of the night patrolling the area in search of possible skinchangers. They’d heard eerie howls around sunset not unlike the one Sonic always let out after transforming, so there was a chance they might find something, though at the same time, it could also just have been from the wolves they already dispatched.

“You could try howling again,” Amy suggested, earning a slightly annoyed look from the beast, “Come now, think about it Sonic. Wolves respond to your howling. It’s safe to say werebeasts would too.”

He knew that already of course. Growing up that was sometimes how his family communicated at night, or how his mother would sometimes call him to bed. It was a funny memory as she could never get it quite right so it sounded more like a pup howl-whining. It always got him to come in for the night though if he were playing out with his cousins. How he missed those days.

The large beast was however wary to try. He hadn’t forgotten about that Hunter from earlier. Something about the stranger just made him uneasy, like a memory trying to surface but one so bad he didn’t want to remember it.

“Fine, if you won’t do it I will.”

Before he could stop her, Amy cupped her hands over her mouth and belted out a shriek of a howl. A low rumble vibrated in Sonic’s throat as he resisted an annoying urge to join in. His ears folded and her grabbed the girl, covering her mouth with his large hand and holding her close. She struggled to get out, but his strength compared to hers was unrelenting.

Unfortunately, something answered, and it wasn’t a normal wolf howl.

Sonic felt his fur bristle as he slowly let Amy go. She started to protest, but he silenced her as another howl pierced the night air, one looking for a response. Sonic’s ears swiveled trying to discern the direction it originated from despite the echoing. He made a motion for Amy to follow in silence and she followed close behind as he led the way to where he thought it was coming from.

When the echo stopped Sonic had no choice but to finally answer. He threw his head back and unleashed an eerie howl of his own before Amy could try again, and this time it was answered in kind by what sounded like multiple beasts. His hackles rose and a low growl rumbled in his throat. He didn’t like this. Something was very wrong tonight.

The two of them continued through the woods cautiously for a time before growling could be heard ahead of them. Sonic stopped cold, causing Amy to bump into him.

“Hey, what---”

Before she could say more, a cage of magical energy suddenly erupted around the two, rapidly shrinking until they could barely turn around. Sonic tried to break it, but was jolted badly the moment he touched it. The trap was made mainly to trap werebeasts, so it was extra effective on them. He collapsed, causing Amy to gasp as she dropped to her knees beside him. 

“Sonic, wake up!” she begged. She heard rustling in the bushes nearby and was back on her feet in an instant, crossbow draw. “Who’s there?” she demanded, “Come out or I’ll shoot.”

“I would advise against that my dear. It would do you no good.”

A deep voice sent a chill up the Rose’s spine. She turned in the direction it came from, crossbow aimed as a cloaked figure stepped from the shadows, flanked on either side by two werebeasts. Amy’s eyes widened as she realized it was the cloaked figure from the restaurant earlier.

“Who...Wh-Who are you?!” she demanded, “What do you want?!”

“The beast is what I want,” he replied, “As for who I am…” He stepped into the moonlight and the glow of the energy coming off the magical cage. Pulling back the hood of the cloak revealed piercing red eyes and fur of the darkest ebony. “My name is Erebus, but you, my dear, may call me Shadow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are getting interesting as their plan finally bares fruit. Only, the one sort of person they didn't want to show up does exactly that. A powerful mage has trapped Amy and Sonic, one that hunts werebeasts. Will Sonic and Amy make it out of this alive? Stay tuned to find out!
> 
> I wonder how many people expected or hoped he'd show up.
> 
> Feel free to leave comments! We'd love to hear your thoughts, theories, and hopes for future chapters! Are there any characters you want or hope to see make an appearance? Do you have predictions for what might happen in the coming chapters? Feel free to share!


	30. Chapter 30

Amy stepped back, standing protectively in front of Sonic, her crossbow still aimed for this strange new hedgehog. “Why do you want him?!” she demanded.

“Why, I’m a collector of sorts,” he replied, gesturing to the two werebeasts at his sides with one hand, “Truthfully, I used to make a living killing creatures like this, but my lady showed me a better use for them than mere slaughter.”

The Rose’s eyes narrowed. “Let me guess, you work for that witch. Ursula.” The name was laced with venom when it passed Amy’s lips.

Erebus chuckled. “Ah so you’ve met my lady,” he replied, “No need to explain who she is then and what she wants with the beast you protect.”

“You’re not laying a finger on him,” Amy growled.

“I beg to differ my dear.”

“Over my cold, dead body.”

“That could easily be arranged my dear,” he replied with a sinister smile, “but why stoop to something so barbaric? Surely you don’t care for this monster do you?”

“And what if I do?”

The black hedgehog laughed. “Please, they’re nothing more than beasts. What good are they to people like us?”

“That’s not true! They--” She froze at her own words, eyes wide as she remembered what Sonic had told her before. Not all beasts were bad. Had he really rubbed off on her that much?

“I see, you think they’re more than mindless killers then?” he asked.

“Shut UP!” Amy screamed. She aimed and shot her crossbow, but when the bolt hit the magical cage it dissolved.

“You really think it’s that easy?” the lycan Hunter asked with a toothy smirk, “My dear, I have been doing this for years. I’ve honed my craft quite well. You think just because there are gaps in the magical bars I’d allow your silly little projectiles to pass through?”

Amy screamed and drew her hammer instead. She started slamming it against the bars. It zapped her quite badly and she fell to her knees. Angry tears were sliding down her cheeks as she fought to get to her feet and strike again, only for the process to start all over again.

Sonic’s paralysis finally wore off. He shifted, narrowly avoiding getting struck by Amy’s rage-fueled flailing. He grabbed the handle when she drew back to swing again, startling her. The girl turned ready to attack the one stopping her, only to realize it was Sonic. Her eyes went wide before she hugged him.

Beyond the bars, Erebus yawned. “As...entertaining as this is, I grow bored of this display. Either give up the beast, or I’ll take him by force.”

Sonic upon hearing the voice looked up. His eyes narrowed and his fur bristled. He let Amy go as a terrible roar left him before he leapt at the bars. In his blind rage, he forgot how much the electrical effect affected him and once again he was down. He fought to remain conscious, a murderous intent in his eyes as he glared at the Hunter.

“Oh,” Eerebus said with recognition, “I remember you. It’s coming back to me now.”

“Y-You...know him…?” Amy asked warily.

“Oh yes my dear, it’s quite a story,” the mage replied, “but not mine to tell.” He chuckled darkly as he focused on Sonic. “Perhaps my lady won’t mind if I mangle you up and beat you within an inch of your life. She said ‘alive’ but never specified what condition. The girl is just collateral.”

He raised his staff, causing bolts of energy to spark inside the cage. Amy screamed in pain as she was struck repeatedly by the energy. Sonic, fueled by rage and an urge to protect, fought to his feet. Despite getting struck repeatedly himself, he grabbed the bars of the prison. He called upon all his strength to pry the magic apart. 

“Impossible!” Erebus shouted, “No beast can pry themselves free!”

That didn’t stop Sonic. Despite everything, his willpower was stronger than his pain. He roared as his claws started to tear a hole in the cage, like breaking the bars of an iron jail door. The bolts weakened as the magic died. The cage disappeared and Sonic fell to all fours, panting heavily but more than ready to fight.

“It’s not possible,” the mage said, backing away, “What are you?”

Sonic wouldn’t answer even if he could. Now that he and Amy were free, he lunged for Erebus, who put up a shield before he was knocked back several feet, smashing into a tree.

“Eliminate the girl!” he ordered as a pair of rings around his wrists glowed, “I’ll take care of this one.”

Amy opened her eyes when the pain stopped. Everything hurt as she used her hammer to aid in pulling her body to her feet. She pulled it free of the forest floor as the two werebeasts came for her. She swung at one, the flat head making contact. Like Sonic before, it didn’t sail far, but it was enough of a distance that it gave the girl time to pull the hammer around and hit the second one with the blunt head as well. It staggered enough that she could put distance between the beasts and go try to help Sonic.

It was not to be however as her cloak was caught in the jaws on the first beast, a mahogany color that looked more like a wolf than even Sonic did. She yelled, swinging her hammer backwards where the spike got it in the jaw. The creature yelped and let go, allowing Amy to scramble to her feet. She drew her crossbow and fired at the second one in her peripheral, the glowing eyes a dead giveaway.

As she dealt with the beasts, Sonic was in a full on rage. The mage slung magic spears at him, several of which pierced Sonic’s thick hide. He was undeterred as he slashed repeatedly at the shield. Mages couldn’t keep spells up forever after all. Even if they could cast multiple spells they all had limited reserves of mana. Though replenishable with the right potion, Sonic wouldn’t give this guy a chance to do so. He hoped he wore the mage out. Then he could exact his own revenge. Amy was right that the two knew each other, but it was from years ago and Sonic hadn't seen him since that fateful day.

But now wasn’t any time to reminisce, especially on bad memories. He attacked the shield relentlessly, driving the black hedgehog back further.

“I see you’re still angry about that day,” Erebus grunted, “but is that all I wonder? Tell me beast, does it have something to do with the girl?” He laughed sinisterly. “Oh, but you can’t say can you? Heh, I suppose I’ll just have to find out for myself.”

He used another spell to send a blast of energy at Sonic, searing the werebeast’s skin before he teleported in a flash of light. Sonic snarled, turning around to race back to Amy’s side.

Amy had knocked one of the beasts unconscious. The second stared her down with blank eyes, not unlike Sonic had when he was possessed by that witch. A strange recognition flashed in its eyes, as if it knew her, but it passed just as quickly. The beast lunged and Amy aimed her crossbow at its forehead. It would be quick and kill the beast instantly as the bolt traveled through its skull at point blank range. She’d be rid of it, and with the other one unconscious she could help Sonic.

But she couldn’t pull the trigger.

Sonic’s words echoed in her mind, and as she got a better look, she realized she recognized this one. It was older now sure, but the eyes she still recognized. It was the same one from years ago, the night her fiance was killed.

She couldn’t wonder long as it lunged. Instead of the crossbow she brought the flat head of Dommen Steg around, smashing it in the face with all her might. Something cracked, likely some bones in its jaw. The beast flipped over as it went flying, bouncing off the ground once before it smashed into a boulder. 

Before she could try and find Sonic, the mage appeared before her. He smiled darkly, ensnaring her in magic bindings and trapping her against the trunk of a large tree. He aimed several spears of light at her as Sonic came skidding to a stop just feet away. Both hedgehogs looked at him, one frightened, one sinister. 

“Take one more step, and the girl dies,” the mage warned.

Sonic felt his muscles coil, claws digging into the dirt. He wanted so badly to save Amy, but if he moved he was likely to get her killed. He growled darkly and were he able to talk it would have been laced with several curses.

“That’s a good boy.” The Hunter advanced toward Sonic while keeping the lances aimed at Amy. “Now you’re going to come with me. I’m taking you to Lady Ursula. If you want your precious girl there to live, you’ll do as I say.”

It wasn’t wise to toy with a werebeast’s emotions. They were fiercely loyal to those they cared about, and they would do whatever it took to protect those people. And woe to those that drew their ire.

The Hunter turned beast was especially protective of Amy. He moved before he even realized he had. It all fell back to instinct. All his coiled power allowed him to close the rest of the way in an instant. He threw himself in the way, his great arms encircling the girl against the tree. The lances fired, implanting themselves not in Amy, but into Sonic’s back. He howled in pain, slumping against the Rose.

“Sonic!” she cried, her scream piercing the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear, looks like things aren't going well for Sonic against this Erebus (Shadow). And it appears like the two know one another. What's that about? Will we find out? Lets just hope Sonic lives long enough to make it to daylight and maybe he can share.
> 
> Feel free to leave comments! We'd love to hear your thoughts, theories, and hopes for future chapters! Are there any characters you want or hope to see make an appearance? Do you have predictions for what might happen in the coming chapters? Feel free to share!


	31. Chapter 31

“I warned you,” the mage said.

Sonic breathed heavily. He pulled himself off of Amy, forcing his body to turn around as he sunk to all fours. He stood in front of her protectively, but shaking as he was, struggling to remain on all fours on willpower alone, it was clear he was at his limit. The spears in his back disappeared, but the holes they caused remained. Not all of them got through his thick fur and hide, but several had gone deep enough to draw blood. It trickled down his sides, dripping to the ground and running down his arms and legs in his low protective stance.

“This can end,” Erebus stated, “Neither of us can keep fighting much longer. Come with me, and I’ll let the girl go.”

Sonic snarled, a clear and defiant no without the need to speak the word. 

“Then you leave me no choice.”

The ebony hedgehog started to charge up a powerful blast of magic. It would take most of whatever reserves he had left, but it was worth it. He had one mana potion with him, not having expected this fight to be so difficult. He would take it after, so it would be enough to allow him to teleport away with this beast plus the two he’d brought with him. Lady Ursula would be pleased.

However, he’d get no chance to launch his attack. A giant shadow descended upon the area. A bat-like shriek filled the air and before Erebus knew it he was knocked off his feet as something rammed into him at least twice. A hulking mass landed nearby with three smaller creatures flying around it. The mage scrambled to his feet, turning his spell upon the monster now attacking him. He found himself slapped away like a child’s toy, something leathery in his face before he was sent flying toward one of the unconscious beasts.

“This isn’t over!” he wheezed, the breath knocked clean out of him, “Lady Ursula will possess you one way or another beast! It’s only a matter of time!”

The hulking mass barreled toward him as he gulped his mana potion. A bright light surrounded him and the two lycanthropes under his control, causing the mass to shriek when the light was too much for its eyes. It covered them and its children with a large wing as the light disappeared before turning its attention toward where Sonic and Amy lay. The bonds holding the Huntress faded, but she was so shocked and overwhelmed by everything that she fainted, collapsing near Sonic in a heap. Sonic was still conscious, if only just, and turned his gaze upon the approaching creature. It sniffed him and he grunted in acknowledgement. It flapped its great wings and started taking to the air, but Sonic passed out before he saw what happened next.

~~~

Sonic awoke several hours later, sweat beading on his brow as a strangled cry left his lips. Everything felt like it was burning up and his heart raced. Beside him, Amy grabbed his arm, trying her best to hold him down.

“Sonic, it’s okay!” she cried.

In his delirium he snarled and swiped at the distorted looking figure. His claws caught her arm, causing the girl to scream in pain. She let go, backing away. His ears perked forward, recognizing that voice. He froze, clarity finally returning to his eyes as he gazed upon the girl he’d just hurt. She stared at him with guarded eyes, holding her wounded arm. 

“It’s okay Sonic,” she repeated gently, “You’re safe…”

His eyes widened when he noticed the injury he’d just caused. He actually tried to apologize with words, but all that came out were grunts and growls. He snarled in frustration, pounding the ground and turning some small stones to dust. Amy flinched when he did that, but when he looked at her, tears were actually brimming in his eyes. She cautiously approached him as he sat down, letting her gashed arm go so she could pick up a wet rag. She carefully dabbed his warm face.

“You’ve been running a high fever,” she explained, surprisingly calm considering, “We’re okay now. Something...s-something saved us. I...I-I don’t know what, but it left us by this lake shore.”

Sonic blinked, the tears rolling down his face as he nodded once. His attention turned to the girl’s arm, ears falling sadly. Guilt laced his features and he couldn’t help reaching out. Amy pulled away reflexively and his gaze returned to her. A soft whine came from him, as if asking her to let him help. Amy’s brow furrowed but gingerly she showed him her injured arm. He took it gently and observed the damage he had done. It hurt knowing he was responsible for hurting her just then, even accidentally.

An old memory flashed through his mind, of what his father sometimes did when he was little and had injured himself at night. Sonic couldn’t help himself as he leaned in and started licking the wound, not unlike an injured canine would do for itself or its young.

Amy felt a chill run up her spine as Sonic’s tongue ran over the gashes on her arm. Her face grew hot, turning bright red alongside her ears. She tried to pull away, but his hold was like a steel trap. She gave up quickly and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the sensation of his large rough tongue running over her skin. It shouldn’t feel as nice as it did, and this behavior didn’t seem like it fit him. Maybe it had something to do with the fever. It hadn’t fully broken and he could still be out of sorts.

The woman bit her lower lip, unable to keep a pleasurable moan from escaping her. Sonic of course heard it, and something inside him set off at the sound. He licked further up her arm. The bleeding had already stemmed, but he kept going. He dragged his tongue up her shoulder, to her throat, absently pushing the woman onto her back as he did. Amy’s eyes flew open in surprise, but at the same time, it was hard to deny how good it felt. Her good arm, left free, reached up, wrapping around one of his large muscular arms. Sonic leaned his head in closer, taking in her cherry-and-roses scent deeply.

“S-Sonic…” Amy whispered.

The Rose turned her head toward him as she felt his weight pressing softly against her body. A low purring rumble echoed in Sonic’s chest when he felt her breath skate across his muzzle. Amy felt the vibration echo within her, deep in her bones. Sonic dragged his tongue up her neck and Amy couldn’t take it anymore. She turned her mouth into his and when he dragged his tongue up the side of her face she met his mouth with her own. Her free arm unwrapped from around his and up around his neck, purposely dragging the beast in closer. She kissed him deeply, passionately, plunging her tongue into his mouth to explore it.

Sonic felt like fire was shooting through his body with every movement Amy made beneath him. When she kissed him, he just about lost it, and returned it in kind. It was rough, untamed, like a wild animal as he sought to explore her mouth as well. Amy moaned into his mouth, and everything primal inside him demanded that he claim her as his own, in every way possible. He leaned in closer, his weight more than enough to pin her down were she lay. He never realized just how badly he wanted this woman.

“S...Son….onic…” Amy moaned breathlessly, “H….Hel...elp…St...stop…”

Somewhere in his fever and lust addled brain, a spark of reason still lived. This, as good as it felt, wasn’t right. They shouldn’t be doing this, not now.

It took every single ounce of willpower he possessed to break that kiss, and even then he wasn’t sure he could. He forced himself to roll off of Amy, ending up on his back beside her breathing raggedly. Sweat poured down his reddened face. He felt woozy and didn’t dare move from where he was while his heart threatened to give out on him.

Amy was the first to move, awkwardly adjusting her outfit as she stood. Her legs felt like jelly, so they almost gave out and she ended up stumbling to the lake to refill a bottle she had with her that had once had a health potion in it. She also soaked a cloth she had been using to periodically dab his brow with cool water from the nearby lake. When she returned, she nearly collapsed beside him, but managed to sit in a somewhat dignified manner.

Sonic grunted as if trying to apologize, averting her gaze as she dabbed his warm brow.

“I...I-I’m so sorry about that,” Amy apologized awkwardly, clearing her throat when her words caught in it, “I-I….have no idea what came over me just then…”

Sonic grunted again, as if agreeing with her. He had no idea what had come over him either. He probably needed more sleep. Maybe with a clear head and his morning body he could properly express how sorry he was.

“So…” Amy drew out, trying to think of a subject change, “Are you...doing alright...? You were...making a lot of noise in your sleep, like you were...afraid of something, or, maybe, something bad happened.” 

The answer she got was of course only a grunt. The girl was about to say more, but before she could something huge landed nearby. Something else landed with a large thud and Amy screamed, scrambling for her nearby weapons. Sonic grabbed her arm before she could get too far away and used his other one to lift himself into a sitting position. He hissed now that his pain was finally catching up to him before he looked to Amy and shook his head. He pulled her around only to put her face to face with a night stalker. It shrieked, but otherwise made no move to attack. In front of it it had dropped a mammoth carcass that was mostly intact. Sonic felt his mouth water and his stomach let out a rather loud growl. 

Amy looked at him with wide eyes before understanding started to come to her features. “I-It’s...not going to attack?” she asked hesitantly, to which Sonic shook his head. His stomach then growled again and she couldn’t help cracking a small smile. “Uh-oh, I think someone’s hungry.” He then tried to stand, only to fall back on his rump when his back wounds acted up. “H-Hey, don’t do that! I-I can cut you some and bring it over!”

That was easier said than done, as they didn’t actually have Sonic’s sword with them, He’d left it along with his other things under a rock before they’d started earlier that night. She didn’t even have a little dagger or a knife or something similar. 

The pink hedgehog did however have her hammer, and her strength. With her legs feeling better, she stood up with more dignity and grabbed the heavy weapon from near the fire she’d set up. She warily approached the carcass, keeping her eyes upon the night stalker that watched her. It hissed at her, but made no moves to attack. Amy stabbed the top spike of the hammer into the mammoth’s hide and used her strength to drag it downwards. She repeated the action until she had a rather hefty slab of thick bloody meat dripping in her grasp. She tried not to feel disgusted as she carried it back to Sonic, who looked half starved. He took it and immediately dug in ravenously. Amy averted her gaze, not wanting to watch him devour the raw flesh, but she didn’t begrudge him for it. This was how he ate when he was like this after all; she’d learned that quite fast.

In the end, it took another two thick slabs before he was finally satisfied. He curled up, looking at Amy with a grateful expression before he yawned. She caught a case of it and yawned herself, just now realizing how tired she too still was. With no actual bed nearby, she resorted to leaning against the beast since she liked his soft fur. The night stalker shrieked once and three small figures came down, where they started feasting on what was left of the mammoth.

“Good night Sonic..” she sighed, doing her best to ignore the night stalker, “I hope we can talk in the morning…”

With that said, she too soon fell into the void of dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hey, Sonic's okay! Honestly this was probably one of my favorite chapters to write so far. I love where the story has been going as Dream and I figure it out.
> 
> Feel free to leave comments! We'd love to hear your thoughts, theories, and hopes for future chapters! Are there any characters you want or hope to see make an appearance? Do you have predictions for what might happen in the coming chapters? Feel free to share!


	32. Chapter 32

As always pain woke him up just before dawn. Everything ached worse than usual, but he still shifted Amy carefully off his body so as not to wake her before he crept off into the woods. As always, Sonic changed back to his daytime face with the rise of the sun. Once he was back to normal, he traced his way as best he could back to where he’d left his clothes. It was slower going than he’d have liked; everything hurt and his back was especially painful. Everything had long stopped bleeding and already started scabbing over, but he was going to need a bath to wash the dried blood off his body.

It was well after the sun came up that he finally returned. Amy was just starting to wake up, panicking when he wasn’t right there. She found him starting to wipe the blood off his body, though it looked like it ached to do so.

“Here, let me help,” she offered, gently taking the cloth from him. She soaked it, lightly running it over his back. “How are you this morning?”

Sonic flinched when Amy ran the cloth over a particularly sore spot between his shoulder blades, but other than that he remained seated, leaning forward with his elbows resting on his knees. 

“Been better,” he admitted, “Guy did a number on my back…”

Amy’s brow furrowed. “Yeah,” she agreed, “Sonic, who...was that man? That mage he...knew you. And the way you acted last night it’s like...like he did something cruel to you in a time past.”

Sonic didn’t answer right away, but his body tensed and his hands balled into tight fists. He felt his jaw go rigid and he actually started to shake with rage as the memory came back in full force. Amy put a calming hand on his shoulder.

“If it’s too much--”

“He’s called the Lunar Reaper,” Sonic interrupted, his gaze on the lake so Amy couldn’t see the raw emotions dancing in his eyes, “Long ago we just thought he was a myth. Then he wasn’t…” Sonic was shaking again and this time bowed his head, shutting his eyes so he could hide the tears from her. “He’s a lycanthrope Hunter. He...He killed my...my f...f…” A lump formed in his throat, choking the word.

“Your…?” Amy hesitantly pressed.

“M-My...f-family...M-My cousins...m-my uncle...I-I c-couldn’t...c-couldn’t save…”

His closed eyes couldn’t hold back the flow. He thought the dam had dried up long ago, but seeing that Hunter again tore open the old wounds and he mourned for them as if it had just happened yesterday.

Amy had seen this kind of pain, had felt it herself plenty of times. This was the pain of old wounds ripped anew. Scars healed, but traces of the damage beneath still remained. They never fully healed, not really. She shifted, carefully hugging Sonic so she wouldn’t hurt his back. She hugged him close, resting her head against him.

“It’s okay Sonic,” she assured softly, “It’s okay to let it out. It’s just the two of us now. No one will judge you, I promise.”

He still tried to hold it in, but he couldn’t fight it. The wounds were fresh again, and now it was Amy’s turn to hold him together. She was starting to shake as well, tears sliding down her cheeks.

“I-I saw him Sonic, the one who...took my love away…” she whispered, “I-I….I recognized...the f-face, b-but I...I-I couldn’t...g-go through with it…Th-They were…b-being controlled…”

They stayed like that for quite awhile, until at least Sonic had dried his tears. He touched Amy’s arm, startling her. She let him go, and he stood up.

“I’m...going to go and find us something to eat…” he said.

“Be...be careful Sonic, please? You’re still in a lot of pain…”

He waved her concern off though at least offered a reassuring smile, if a bit forced. He needed some time alone to process a lot of things in his mind right now and hunting was a good excuse to do it.

Amy was left alone by the lake shore. She stood and strolled to the water’s edge, sitting down cross-legged to stare at her reflection. It was surprisingly crisp, almost exactly like a mirror. Her hand reached out, touching the surface. Little ripples disturbed the otherwise glass-like surface. Amy saw the wounds on her outstretched arm reflected in the water and turned it over curiously. That’s right, Sonic had done that accidentally last night. It was cleaned out though, almost like…

“Sweet Mother Gaia on high!” she swore.

She remembered everything from last night. It washed over her like a wave, and her face went as red as her cloak. It had just felt so good, the way his tongue felt on her skin, roughly working its way up her arm and onto her neck. He’d eased her onto her back, pressing his warm body into hers with that soft fur. She hadn’t been able to help herself, kissing him the way she had. Just thinking about it made her feel lightheaded, and she nearly passed out on the spot as she hid her face in her hand and let out a muffled whine.

Out in the woods surrounding the take, Sonic wasn’t actually looking that hard for anything to hunt. If he happened upon something he’d make a half-hearted attempt, but in truth his mind was too preoccupied to worry about eating. He sat down and leaned against a tree, folding his arms behind his head as he watched the leaves dance in the breeze. Filtered sunlight shone through them, throwing the rays into scatterings of goldish-green. 

He might appreciate the beauty of the scene, the simplicity of the moment, but his mind was abuzz with too much activity, of the entrapment, forcing his way out of the cage, the fight with that black hedgehog, Amy almost getting killed…

He’d taken the attack for her. He wasn’t willing to go with the wicked Hunter and it had taken a heavy toll on him. Just when he had little hope of winning, the night stalker had appeared. He would never be able to thank it enough, it or its young. Not only had they driven the mage and his two...slaves off, but they’d even brought the Wolf and the Rose somewhere safe, and provided them with something to eat, though mammoth was not something he could remember eating anytime recently.

He sat up slightly and rubbed his temples. Gods did his head still ache, along with everything else. That fever had really gotten to him last night and it was a wonder he was doing as well as he was now, relatively speaking, but then, he did heal pretty quickly.

Sonic licked his lips absently, freezing when he detected a faint trace of a cherry-and-roses taste in his mouth. He blushed a brilliant crimson as foggy memories gained clarity in his mind. He leaned back, resting a hand to his temple.

“Nooo...there’s no way,” he reasoned, “She would never...I would never…” 

He bit his tongue as the memories gained further clarity. He closed his eyes and he could see it again. Licking her wounds, trailing up her soft skin and short little fur, tasting that tender spot on her neck, feeling her lithe body squirm beneath his own, and that kiss…

Oh gods that kiss. He would have never expected Amy to kiss him like that, so openly passionate and carnal. It wasn’t his first, but he’d be damned if he could remember ever being kissed like that before. And the fact he’d returned it and she hadn’t flinched away… The memory of her moaning against his lips was enough to set his blood aflame. He would have gone further had she not pleaded with him to stop, if she’d let him. As it had stood, his willpower had barely torn him away from her the previous night, and even now he could feel everything male and predatory within himself begging him to go back and claim her.

“Oh gods…” he groaned, rubbing his eyes, “What have I gotten myself into…

~~~

It was quite awhile before Sonic actually returned to the lakeshore. He’d needed more time than he cared to admit to cool off, and didn’t have much to show for his hunt except for one fat rabbit. When he returned, he found Amy searing fish over a fire. She looked up when she heard the crunch of grass and rock under his boot, smiling at his catch.

“Sorry...” she apologized somewhat shyly, “You were taking too long, and I started getting hungry. We can throw it on after if you want.”

“You...caught fish?” Sonic asked awkwardly, joining her around the campfire and began to strip the carcass for its meat.

“Yeah,” Amy replied, fiddling idly with her braid, “My father taught me how. He also taught me how to fashion a makeshift rod if I ever need to. It’s simple, but effective. Easier than trying to spear fish with Dommen Steg at least.”

“I see,” Sonic replied, “I haven’t had fish in awhile myself.”

“You’re welcome to some, if I get some of that rabbit when it’s cooked.”

Sonic paused, glancing upward to find her looking at him. “Uh, sure,” he replied.

“You weren’t going to--?”

“No!” Sonic exclaimed, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment, “I don’t eat meat raw during the day. This body doesn’t handle it as well…” He scratched the side of his face. “I mean...I can if I have to but...it’s kind of a pain...”

Amy laughed. “Relax, I tease.” She sighed once she settled down. The fish were almost ready. She grabbed a pair of flat rock slabs and set the seared fish on them. “Lack of table settings. Hope you don’t mind.”

Sonic traded her the ‘plate’ of fish for the skinned carcass, which she threw over the fire next. “You’ve seen how I eat right?” he asked jokingly, “Of course I don’t mind.”

“Yes, and last night was...interesting, to say the least.”

The Wolf choked, pounding his chest and swallowing hard before he dared speak. “I-I uh...w-well, I-I was feverish, a-and not myself and uh...I-I’m...I-I...apologize for my behavior… What I did was...way out of line. I-I didn’t mean...I mean… I’d never, you know…”

Amy’s ears folded back, almost sadly. Her eyes closed halfway and she bowed her head, her bangs and the thick fringe of her lashes hiding her eyes. “I...I-I figured,” she replied, “I-I guess we were...both out of sorts last night…”

Sonic ate his fish in silence. Yeah, out of sorts… It wasn’t like it was still fresh in his mind, trying to invade every corner of his thoughts, refusing to be shoved away like yesterday’s garbage. He rested his face in his hand, wondering how he’d let everything get so complicated with this female. Before he’d told her they were as teacher and pupil only, and now they’d shared the most passionate kiss he could ever remember having, that would have likely led to more had she not begged him to help stop where they were taking things. Gods, if his willpower had broken…

“Sonic?” Amy asked, “Are you alright?”

He jumped when she said his name, nearly losing what was left of his fish. “Y-Yeah,” he replied, exhaling softly, “I’m fine.”

She tilted her head, not entirely convinced but deciding it’d be better not to press. Something else was on her mind anyway, something she had been wanting to ask since last night.

“Sonic, that...that thing that saved us, was...was it...what I think it was?” she asked while poking at the sizzling rabbit haunch. 

“You mean the night stalker?” he asked.

“They aren’t...exactly common to see,” she said.

“Aye.”

“Was it...the one, from before, that first night?”

“Aye.”

“How did it find us?”

“Night stalkers have a surprisingly good sense of smell,” he replied, “I asked it to keep an eye on us.”

“Y-You...what?!” the Rose exclaimed in shock, “W-When? I-I don’t…”

“They aren’t dumb creatures you know. They’ll never be talking like that ogre did before, but they are pretty smart, and good trackers.”

“But h-how… When? Why? I-I don’t...understand…”

Sonic looked up. “Not all creatures are bad you know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obligatory awkward post-kiss chapter. We also learn what Sonic's connection to this Erebus (Shadow) is. It's not a pleasant memory for him.
> 
> Feel free to leave comments! We'd love to hear your thoughts, theories, and hopes for future chapters! Are there any characters you want or hope to see make an appearance? Do you have predictions for what might happen in the coming chapters? Feel free to share!


End file.
